be careful. slippery. we'll help you out with local news updates every half our or so. first one is at 7:25. >> we'll see you back here tomorrow. good morning. southern sweep. rick santorum wins the gop primaries in mississippi and alabama and calls for conservatives to unite behind his campaign. with two third place finishes in the south, is mitt romney's iron grip on the nomination slipping away? > soaring. stocks post their biggest gains of the year. what's behind the good times on wall street and how long will they last? and slapped down. nicollette sheridan's battery complaint against the creator of

kwoez desperate dismissed. is the rest of her case in kwoez desperate dismissed. is the rest of her case in jeopardy today, march 14, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. it was a big night for rick santorum and the twin wins in the deep south appeared to bolster his claim that he's the preferred choice among the most conservative republicans, matt. >> let's look at the results. rick santorum took 35% of the vote in alabama finishing ahead of newt gingrich and mitt romney. they each picked up 29%. the contest in mississippi was closer. look at the numbers there. 33% for santorum. 31% for gingrich and 30% for romney. romney did pick up a win in the caucuses in hawaii overnight.

what does it say about his campaign that he failed again to break through in the south? without a win on tuesday, why does newt gingrich appear so determined to stay in this race? we're going to break it down straight ahead. >> coming up, the trial of a florida millionaire accused of dui manslaughter in the death of a young man. that trial is under way. it's a case that's been making headlines because the defendant adopted his girlfriend to shield his fortune. just wait until you hear the defense. we're going to have the latest on the story as well. >> you had a chance to sit down with oscar winner george clooney. >> last night, lucky me. in fact, he just returned the same day from a trip to the sudan where he crossed the border illegally, matt, risking his life to expose the atrocities taking place there. he came under fire during a rocket attack, he told us. he walked up on an unexploded bomb. we have a revealing and passionate interview. we begin with rick santorum's key wins in alabama, mississippi

and the impact on the presidential race. nbc's peter alexander joins us here in new york. nice to have you here. >> nice to be finally home. the race has been filled with more twists and turns than even a seasoned veteran can count and we are only past the halfway point. 27 states have now voted. a santorum official said it is just silly of the romney campaign to say the nomination race is wrapped up. in his words, it's just getting started. >> we did it again. >> reporter: after a southern slugfest, rick santorum took to the stage with a narrow victory in alabama under his belt, only to learn he'd also won mississippi. >> we did? good. >> reporter: despite being outspent by newt gingrich and mitt romney, santorum swept the deep south. >> who would have thought in the

age of media that we have in this country today that ordinary folks from across this country can defy the odds day in, day out. >> reporter: santorum stopped short of calling for gingrich to drop out, but insisted his double red state victories make him the party's conservative choice. >> we will compete everywhere. the time is now for conservatives to pull together. >> reporter: gingrich, whose spokesman said gingrich had to win both states to remain viable, isn't backing down saying he's going to the summer convention. >> i emphasize going to tampa. one of the things proved tonight is that the elite media's effort to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> reporter: staying away from the south tuesday, romney stumped for votes in missouri and gave no election night speech. on the plane he told me regardless of the outcome, tuesday's primaries are another

step toward the 1,144 delegates needed to become the nominee. >> if the polls are near correct we'll end up with, a third of the delegates. that inches us closer to the magic number. >> reporter: while the math may be in romney's favor, the momentum has clearly shifted. >> for someone who thinks this race is inevitable he's spent a lot of money against me for being inevitable. >> reporter: earlier tuesday romney accused the former pennsylvania senator and his supporters of running dishonest ads. >> senator santorum is desperate in his campaign and trying in some ways to boost his prospects. frankly, misrepresenting the truth is not a good way of doing that. >> reporter: in the end, santorum overcame gingrich's claim to the south and romney's domination of the air waves earning a key block of the republican party, evangelicals who paused in prayer at his rally tuesday night.

>> people come up and say, i'm praying for you. >> i want to thank you for that. i want to thank god for giving us the strength to go out there and to be clear in our message and our vision for this country. >> in a race where every delegate matters, both rick santorum and mitt romney head to puerto rico over the next couple of days. one romney aide said only one candidate has won the general election battlegrounds, florida, michigan, and ohio, and that's mitt romney. he has a strong lead but the next state to watch is the state that's the home state of the future opponent, barack obama's home state of illinois where they vote next tuesday. >> peter, thanks. good to have you in new york. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." chuck todd is our chief white house correspondent and political director. >> good morning. >> david, it's a big day for rick santorum. not completely unexpected when you consider that 80% of the people who voted in alabama and mississippi identify themselves as evangelicals.

what did it do for his campaign? >> he is the conservative alternative to mitt romney. mitt romney is saying it's a math equation. it's not. he's saying to vote with your head and not your heart. the heart of the party is voting with rick santorum. that's a problem. that means romney is not inevitable but santorum isn't winning the electability contest which is about message and about persuading more than conservatives that he can go all the way. >> newt gingrich spoke to his supporters last night and he said this and i'm paraphrasing. he said for a front-runner, if you keep finishing third in these contests, referring to mitt romney, you're not much of a front-runner. how bad of a day was it for mitt romney? >> you finish third and the good news for mitt romney, yesterday morning i told you about the 28-28-28-26 numbers on the o mitt romney got to 29 in alabama and 30 in mississippi. apparently that's what jeff foxworthy was worth when you concentrated that effort. he is not winning the heart and soul of the republican party.

this has always been the challenge. eight or nine months ago we said mitt romney is the guy that's the favorite for the nomination. nobody was sure how he gets there. we're still in that place. how does he land the plane? it's not clear. ironically he may win the night on delegates when we finish counting thanks to american samoa but he has a problem with the base of the party. >> david, to newt gingrich. his pitch to the party has been, look, whoever is the nominee, you need the south to win the election and i can win the south. now he's only won south carolina and his home state of georgia. how can he continue to make that pitch? >> i don't know. news flash for him, he's not running against the elite media. they are not on the ballot. we are not on the ballot. he's not winning in the south where he thought he could make a stand. he's getting in the way of rick santorum. mitt romney i think would be happy to help him. i'm not clear on what you can offer him to get out of the

race. it may be that his big donors have to say, we don't want to keep fuelling this. >> chuck, what do you think newt gingrich wants in return for getting out of the race? he says he's going to tampa. there's got to be something he's looking for. >> i think he got into the race looking for respectability again. looking to become a statesman of the party. the incentive to get out would be if staying in would embarrass him and would somehow lower his earning power and lower his standing in the party. i don't know what the incentive is to get out. we saw him fade away before. he rose up here which turned out to be a dead cat bounce in the south, i think. i think he'll end up going into ron paul territory and the voters and media will pass him by. >> guys, thank you very much. after another late night, thank you. it's 7:09. here's ann.

wall street is looking to build on the biggest gains of the year today. the dow closed at 13,178 on tuesday. that's the highest level in more than three years. the question is what's behind it and what does it mean for you? we have jim cramer, host of "mad money" joining us. good morning, jim. there was a decision to essentially announce that after looking at the stress test that 15 out of 19 banks passed stress tests. why is this good news? >> they are saying, banks, you are free to lend more. the banks have been constrained by the government about how much they can lend. our banks are in the best shape of the world and the federal reserve is saying, you have our seal of approval. start lending. >> four banks failed including citi corps, a major one.

>> they can raise money. if you look at the fed, they are saying you're not bad banks but you have to go further before you can reward shareholders. >> getting a lot of pickup is an op-ed by resigning director of goldman sachs who writes the culture of big investment banks hasn't changed since the financial meltdown. he says the banks are putting their interests ahead of the client's. is it possible these banks haven't learned their lessons. >> in full disclosure i started at goldman sachs. that's a devastating statement. they have no idea how rich they are, how much they have. it is shocking that's nothing changed. there is no humility. these people helped bring down the western world. >> he's resigning, not being fired. do you have information to believe what he's saying is not true? >> i don't. i hope it isn't.

these were great places where everybody could go, do well, support their families and create something. it would be terrible if this is the face of banking. >> and did the financial meltdown not teach them a lesson? is there anything that would? >> if this wasn't a wake-up call, i have no idea what will change their behavior. the client is first. that's the way it was when i was at goldman. i hate to think it's just capitalism. this is a shocking piece. everyone has to read it. >> thanks, jim. once again, here's matt. >> now to afghanistan where defense secretary leon panetta arrived to meet with government officials and u.s. troops. it come at a tense time, just days after an army staff sergeant's alleged deadly shooting rampage. richard engel is in kabul.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. secretary panetta is in southern afghanistan today in helmand province addressing troops. he's expected to deliver a message from president obama to president karzai saying that justice will be done in the case of the alleged shooting in which 16 afghan civilians were killed. we have been told several afghan officials have been shown surveillance video that shows the final moments when the staff sergeant turned himself in at a u.s. base. he's seen putting his weapon on the ground, raising his hands in the air. we have been told by u.s. officials when asked specifically about the shooting he said, i did it. now it's an international incident. defense secretary leon panetta arrives at what could be a low in u.s./afghan relations. he meets with troops, american commanders and president karzai. the two-day trip was previously

scheduled but comes after a string of abuses and mistakes by american forces. in eastern afghanistan, these protesters want the americans out now. on tuesday, they burned a cross and a crude effigy of president obama. so far, afghanistan has not seen the nationwide uproar some u.s. officials fear still could come. >> the united states takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. we're heartbroken over the loss of innocent life. the killing of innocent civilians is outrageous and unacceptable. it's not who we are as a country. it does not represent our military. >> reporter: president karzai is also trying to make amends. he sent a delegation led by two of his brothers to a memorial

for the 16 civilians allegedly killed by the rogue american sergeant. the delegation was attacked, one afghan soldier killed. the village is in no mood for condolence calls. of 16 victims, 11 were from the family of this tribal elder. the bodies were lined up, swaddled in bed sheets. a tiny corpse in the back of a truck. after the shooting, villagers gathered near kandahar looking for answers. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: i am asking the elders, karzai, the ministers that the culprit be handed over to afghanistan and put on trial, says a relative. in kabul, afghans didn't appear to blame all americans. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: but the killer should be executed. that is the punishment, said this man. and that could happen. the united states is considering capital murder charges that carry the death penalty after an american court martial, likely in afghanistan.

what triggered this act is unclear. u.s. officials say the sergeant was having marital problems and they have reason to believe alcohol may have been involved. matt? >> richard engel in kabul, thank you very much. >> just a devastating story. we have natalie morales at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. a strong earthquake measuring 6.8 rattled northern japan this morning, causing minor tidal changes on the pacific coastline but no reported damages or injuries. several towns issued advisories or evacuation orders and a small swell was observed. all tsunami advisories have been lifted. a bus carrying belgian students home from a skiing holiday crashed overnight killing at least 28 people including 22 kids. 24 other children were injured. police say they are investigating what caused the bus to veer directly into a tunnel wall.

boston utility workers are trying to restore power to homes and businesses after a smoky transformer fire erupted near a garage at the back bay hilton hotel. and the brooklyn bridge was closed tuesday night after a barge carrying a crane struck the scaffolding attached to the underside of the bridge. it tore a 20-foot gash but left the historic bridge unharmed. after 244 years the encyclopedia britannica is going out of print. it's now moving into the digital age as the company shifts focus to the online edition. that makes the 32-volume 2010 edition the last published version. and a victory in alaska as dallas seedy won the iditarod after a 1,000 mile trek across the alaska wilderness.

back to ann, matt and al. >> happy birthday to him. thanks, natalie. now a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we are going to be talking about the pacific northwest where they are getting hit again. also look at the record highs today again. yesterday, we saw temperatures in the 80s, 70s. rochester, minnesota. burlington, vermont. garden city. springfield, missouri, all with records. we have temperatures today from 10 to 30 degrees above normal. minneapolis at 30 degrees above normal. detroit 26 higher. 80 in ft. worth. ft. worth. that's what's today in the bay weather sponsored by -- day two of relentless rains

over the bay area. this morning your radar is lit up. not only dealing with light rain but moderate showers especially along the peninsula. you can really see a lot of yellow in marin county and the north bay. give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination this morning. throughout the next few days rain showers continue. by friday temperatures drop in the 50s. low 50s for st. patrick's day with showers. that's your latest weather. ann? >> testimony is under way at the dui manslaughter trial of a florida millionaire charged in an accident that killed a 23-year-old driver. it's a case that's received a lot of attention because of an unusual move by the defendant. mark potter is in west palm beach with the latest on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. this is the case that drew national attention when the wealthy defendant adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend to protect some of his riches. now john goodman is in the fight of his life. prosecutors say he was drunk and left the scene of a fatal crash

but the defense claims he was a victim. >> the case of state of florida versus goodman. >> reporter: he's charged with dui manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in which 23-year-old scott wilson was killed by drowning in a canal. in the opening statement the prosecutor said right after speeding through a stop sign and crashing his bently into wilson's car, goodman left the victim to die. >> he hit scott wilson, pushed that hyundai across the street through the dirt and it rolled into the canal upside down. scott wilson didn't die from blunt trauma. he drowned. and what did the defendant do? he walked away. >> reporter: the prosecution says goodman who owns the international polo club in florida had been partying and drinking with friends before getting in his car. >> three hours after this crash the defendant's b.a.c. was .17,

more than twice the legal limit. >> reporter: famed defense attorney roy black offered another explanation. he told the jury the bentley malfunctioned and roared out of control through the stop sign. >> all of the sudden the car surges forward. you see him trying to control this enormously powerful car. unbeknownst to john goodman the throttles that run the fuel into the engine are not working properly. >> reporter: black said at the time of the accident goodman was not drunk and only drank heavily after leaving the scene to find a phone because his cell phone was dead. >> the only pain relief he was able to find comes from a bottle of alcohol. >> reporter: black says goodman didn't abandon wilson. in the dark he didn't know he had been pushed into the canal. he said before calling 911 he

called his girlfriend because he was delirious from the accident and hers was the only number he could remember. last year goodman adopted the 42-year-old to protect some of his wealth. over the weekend it was reported that goodman and the victim's family reached a monetary settlement in the civil case although none of the lawyers is talking about that. in the criminal case here, if convicted of the charges, goodman could face up to 30 years in prison. ann? >> we'll see what happens. mark potter, thank you. just ahead a judge dismisses nicollette sheridan's battery complaint against the creator of "desperate housewives" as closing arguments begin today. first, this is "today" on nbc. whatcha lookin' for hon?

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makeup like you've never seen or felt before. unique air-infused mousse formula blends easily for a smooth, poreless, airbrushed finish. good wednesday morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. campbell police are worried there could be more potential victims of a nanny accused of victimizing at least eight children. 41-year-old john walker is in jail facing 14 counts of lewd acts with children. police say walker cared for a number of kids at his home or at a child care center since 2002. they think there is a good chance there are more victims. walker is being held without bail. if you know anything about the case, call campbell police. let's get a look at that forecast right now with meteorologist christina loren.

>> you want to leave early this morning. we have a lot of rain coming down over the greater bay area, especially down at the coast, from marin county down to the peninsula, but we are getting a break in san jose. showers closing in on san jose. you're about 15 minutes out now from your first shower. the bulk of the moisture today will be confined to the south bay at about noon. we'll lighten up as we head throughout the evening but still spotty showers continue all night long. saturday and sunday a third system drops in bringing thunderstorm and a round of rain early monday. tuesday we dry out, 62 degrees. tough drive. east bay, the maze and approach has been tough all morning. rain hitting hard here. westbound 580 at keller, three or four cars involved in an accident there. should be clearing some lanes as we speak but look at all the slowing approaching the area toward the warren freeway split coming out of oakland and off

the castro valley y. 980 at 880 down the east shore freeway, clearing. 24 by the walnut creek interchange clearing. 101 coming just past guadalupe parkway jammed into mountain view by an accident there. rain coming to the south bay. that will be a problem. golden gate bridge, nice smooth drive here but look at those clouds coming in from the marin side. wet, sloppy roadways. winds kicking in for the richmond and san rafael bridge. another update in half-an-hour. check out nbc bay area on facebook. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

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why do you risk your life? >> george clooney is no stranger to the action on the big screen, but in the past few days he's been in dangerous situations for real trying to make a difference for a cause he cares passionately about. we'll have an interview with him coming up in a moment. meantime at 7:30 on this wednesday morning, the 14th of march 2012. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer. it's a beautiful morning in the northeast. it comes with a price. are you paying the price? >> well, a little bit.

a lot of people around me are paying and warmer temperatures and they are coming earlier, and allergy season is coming earlier to cause millions of americans to suffer from -- you know the symptoms, sneezing and watery eyes, and if it is this bad now, what do you do later? advice coming up. >> i will give you your tissue now. >> thank you very much. >> is your marriage good or only good enough? we have the results of an interesting new survey. we find out what one couple did to put their relationship to the test. could it work for others of us? we'll find out. we begin this half hour with nicollette sheridan's wrongful termination case heating up in los angeles after a judge dismissed one of the complaints brought by the former "desperate housewives" star. nbc's craig melvin has the latest on the story. good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. closing arguments are set here to begin at the l.a. county courthouse in two hours. yesterday inside of that courtroom, all of the makings of a classic classic "housewives"

episode. there were plot twists and even a cliffhanger. >> why did you have to do this? >> reporter: surprises and sus suspense were staples of "desperate housewives." what happened in court tuesday could have been easily one of the season ending shockers. it was a bombshell nobody saw coming. first a mystery witness was revealed. we learned it was longtime staffer michael reinhart who left a voicemail for nicollette sheridan's attorney over the weekend. >> i received an e-mail soon after nicolette filed suit that regarded having i.t. come in to wipe clean the hard drives of the producers in response to correspondence that they have had, e-mailwise, about firing nicollette. >> reporter: reinhart helped build the colorfully suburban set and has been with the show since the beginning. he said he came forward to get the truth out. sheridan's lawyers hoped his testimony would help prove her

character was killed off when she complained executive producer marc cherry hit her in the head. but hollywood reporter inside the courtroom said it didn't go well. the problem was ultimately he wasn't that credible. even he couldn't be sure of exactly what he read and he couldn't remember who it was sent to. he didn't have a copy of it. he had very little detail. then 48-year-old sheridan took the stand and gave a brief version of what she said happened on the set in september 2008. in a trembling voice she said, quote, he was dismissive and he hit me. shortly after her testimony the judge threw out the battery complaint saying there was not enough evidence. >> obviously i'm thrilled by the judge's decision. but i'm going to withhold commentary on this matter until the entire case is revolved. i'm going to lunch now and i'm a happy man. >> reporter: the judge didn't toss the wrongful termination charge. sheridan's lawyers say that was

the main focus all along. >> the case is about being fired for being hit and complaining a work. that is worth $5.7 million. that is what it is all about. >> reporter: sheridan often battled the other stars on the show. often she battled eva longoria, but in this cliffhanger, it's abc and touchstone. touchstone distributes and airs "desperate housewives." they conducted an investigation and found sheridan was not mistreated. sheridan's lawyers will continue to look at reinhart's hard drive and if they find something, the judge said she could stop closing arguments. >> savannah guthrie is "today's" legal correspondent and star jones. >> good morning. >> with the judge dismissing the battery claim against the creator of the show is he off the hook? >> marc cherry is apparently out of the lawsuit now. in an early version there were

several counts against him. with the dropping of the battery charge he personally is out of the suit. the lawsuit continues. my take, i would be interested to hear what star thinks is this signals the judge doesn't think much of the case. that battery issue is at the heart of it. it's a he said/she said. the judge finds it so lacking in credibility she tosses that out. it makes me feel like she doesn't think much of the case and what jurors who heard the same evidence will think. >> it signals to the jury that the judge discounted all of what they have been hearing thus far as it relates to the battery. marc cherry is part of the case in that his behavior will be evaluated on whether or not abc is ultimately found liable. >> so abc touchstone. >> good news for marc. good news for abc. >> let's talk about the surprise

witness that showed up yesterday. how influential given some of the discrepancies. >> i was really surprised he was allowed to testify without actually having the evidence in front of him. the best evidence is obviously this alleged e-mail. the best evidence would have been a hard drive that showed something had been wiped off. i was surprised that the judge allowed him to testify. except it was a full and complete cross-examination to show that, one, he could be mistake. two, he could have missbre misinterpreted it and three, he doesn't have evidence. >> it was a bombshell that bombed. if he had an e-mail that had abc executives saying, destroy evidence the case would have been over. instead this well-meaning witness said, you know, under cross-examination, maybe it did say save the documents for the lawsuit. in other words the exact opposite of what he thought. it's a wash. >> i know it had nicollette

sheridan. it was as if geraldo opened up the tomb again and nothing was in there. >> ooh, geraldo reference. >> it's come to this. >> closing arguments today. what do we expect? >> you will hear abc touchstone used good judgment and followed the procedures that were set in place for when you are going to terminate an employee. those are the key words. the other side? >> it comes out to the timeline. whether you believe the battery or not. she said she was complained about the battery and was fired. abc executives say the plan was in the works for months to fire her. it comes down to the timeline if jurors believe they were planning to fire her for months. this case is out of court. >> when was it put into place? is when did occur? >> all right. we're going to find out what happened. star, savannah, thank you very much. now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you, ann.

what's your shirt? >> morning star baptist church in jackson, mississippi. >> how many of you are here? >> all of us. >> exact number. all of you. our friends in the pacific northwest, it just keeps getting worse. one low moves on shore another gets ready and an aleutian low for california into the midwest. look at the rain and snow. we are talking about northern california into central california. two to three inches of rain. some areas may get five over the next 48 hours. we are looking at one to three feet of snow the cascades. you could see record highs in the plains today. sunshine along the midatlantic and southeast. northeast as that steadky rain overnightt uein make sure you give yourself

plenty of time as we have a lot of green on the radar this morning and a lot more on the way. as we head through noon, showers start to lighten up up in the north bay and that's when they'll start to move into the south bay which has been relatively dry. that's still the case in san jose. temperatures running cool all day long today, only ending up in the 50s. 57 in almaden. 58 livermore. throughout the remainder of the week we keep the rain in the mix through monday. don't forget. get your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable. weather.com online. 100th anniversary of hadassah. [ cheers ] >> still ahead, the latest celebrity split that seemed to come out of nowhere surprising fans. up next, the downside to the warm weather. what you can do to cope with the early arrival of the allergy season after this. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me.

i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ we're back now at 7:43. this morning on today's health, the early arrival of spring allergies. you may be enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. if you are one of the 45 million americans who suffers from allergies it comes at a price. dr. raj is here with advice on how to cope. she's the contributing medical editor at health magazine. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> enjoying the 70s in new york? >> it's wonderful. >> not only have allergy symptoms come early, they are worse this year than ever. why is that? >> as you said, it's warm.

so the trees are releasing pollen at higher counts. people aren't prepared because the trick with allergies is getting the medicine in before the pollen comes out. because this weather came out of nowhere, no one was prepared. they are not medicated and they are feeling the effects. >> you have allergy sufferers praying for a cold snap early in spring. would that change it or is the cat out of the bag already? >> it's too late. once the pollen is released, even if it gets cold it's too late. your body has been triggered to that response. >> for people at home now saying, i don't have allergies, this doesn't effect me you can develop allergies at any age. >> i myself only developed them last year. i never had them before. absolutely. it could come at any time. >> in terms of who's susceptible, who is susceptible to them? >> if you have a family history. if one or both parents have allergies you are more likely to develop them. if you have a food allergy, you're more likely to develop

these allergieallergies. >> you have people saying, do i have a cold or am i an allergy sufferer? the most common symptoms of seasonal allergies are what? >> the runny, itchy nose. itchy, watery eyes. sometimes a scratchy throat. sometimes you get dark circles under your eyes. this can happen with a cold, but a cold lasts for only a week. if it persists, more likely to be an allergy. if it's a fever, it's more likely a cold. >> there are over-the-counter remedies and prescriptions as well. we have some medications on the table. >> you start with over-the-counter. you have the anti-histamine either eye drops or pills you can take. things like claritin and xyrtec. you need to talk about getting tested to determine what you're allergic to. is it tree pollen, grass pollen. what's going on. >> and behavioral things you can do to leave yat symptoms.

check the pollen count. limit outdoor activities. keep your house and car windows closed. not easy. shower and change clothes after being outside. >> the pollen is sticking to your hair, skin, clothes. wash your hair. wash your clothes. wash your bedding and pillows frequently so they are not exposed. >> and save your outdoor activities and exercise for the afternoon. why is that better than morning? >> pollen counts are highest early morning. if you really suffer you may want to leave the gardening and weeding to someone else. >> doctor, good to see you. >> you, too. >> good luck with the allergies. >> thank you. >> coming up, the celebrity couple that announced plans to divorce catching fans by surprise. we'll talk about that right after this. ♪ ♪

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from toyota. ♪ these days when a hollywood power couple decides to divorce it's not surprising, but the latest celebrity breakup has stunned a lot of their fans. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: they are both teenage pop culture icons, but for different generations. 38-year-old peter facinelli is the father vampire in the twilight saga. >> reporter: 39-year-old jennie garth played kelly taylor in the original "beverly hills 90210" which aired over 20 years ago. during ten seasons of rich kids from beverly high, her character became one of the most beloved. they were, say fans, the perfect hollywood couple. the ones that were supposed to make it.

this is facinelli supporting his wife on "dancing with the stars" in 2007. in a joint statement released tuesday the couple confirms after 11 years they are separating. but they say, we remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. fans tweeted a steady stream of shock. thought they'd stay married forever. unacceptable! another wrote. another hollywood couple down. so sad. >> it definitely makes people think if they can't make it work in hollywood, nobody can. >> reporter: now they join the ranks of recent splits. ashton and demi, kim and chris, seal and heidi. despite garth's comments to oklahoma magazine fook magazine. i'm not interested in taking the easy way out. divorce is not an option for us. over the years they were seen in public with their three

daughters. monday night it was just luka and her father at "the hunger games". >> my daughter is a huge fan. i'm excited to see it. >> reporter: the divorce comes as garth gets ready to launch a new reality show called "jennie garth little bit country" focusing on her move out of los angeles to a simpler life. >> being out here on my own with the girls is not going to be easy. >> reporter: escaping the pressures of hollywood may take more than just a move to the country. for "today" stephanie gosk, nbc news, los angeles. >> meantime switching gears, we'll hear from george clooney on why he risks his life for the people of the sudan. he's coming back with a powerful story. we'll tell you about that. >> we look forward to that. first, your local news and weather. (bell rings)

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good wednesday morning to you. it is 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. police are trying to figure out if the weather contributed to a deadly accident on highway 101 this morning. possibly two cars were hit killing a man near 3rd avenue in san mateo around 12:30 this morning. officers are not sure why he was even on the highway. all southbound lanes were closed and the coroner was called. they were re-opened by 3:00. no other injuries were reported. let's check that forecast right now. slick roadways can be tough. >> the best way to combat those slick roadways -- give yourself plenty of time. you don't want to race out the front door this morning. not only do we have wet conditions, more rain on the way and windy conditions as well. so watch out for debris on the roadways.

as we head throughout the day today, showers will intensify for the next few hours, then wind down toward the second half of the day. ed second batch of rain pushing toward richmond, that's heavy rain moving over tiburon right now. your seven-day outlook in moments. first, let's check your drive with plik. horrible driving now approaching the bay bridge. five-car accident near keller. tweeted about the fact that the lanes are cleared but still very slow off the castro valley y. 880 jammed up coming into san leandro as well. 624 into and out of the walnut creek interchange on the right jammed up. south down through alamo and danville. east shore freeway close to 40 minutes now off of the carquinez bridge approaching the bay bridge with the wind advisory. slow past city college on 280 but the earlier sigalert has cleared. all directions especially southbound out of san bruno

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it's 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. if you are living in a part of the country where the weather is not great, prepare to be jealous. we have a day without a cloud in the sky. it is already 62 degrees in new york city. going up to about 70. >> 70 degrees again. chicago will be 77 today. which is great in may, but this is march. >> we have a huge crowd of rolling spring breakers on the plaza. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. coming up, we're going to talk about a question a lot of

married couples ask -- is our marriage good or is it just good enough? if it's just good enough what can you do to make it better? we'll learn things from one couple. they're joining us. they kind of challenged themselves in a way to get beyond just good. we'll see how it worked out. >> and coming up, we'll hear from george clooney. about this time yesterday morning he landed back in the united states, having traveled to sudan where he risked his life to give voice to people suffering because they are being attacked by their own government there. he brought back this videotape and before he left to go to washington, he'll testify this morning before the senate foreign relations committee, he sat down with us to tell us about this passion and why he cares so much. >> that's terrific. one of the greatest actors of our age, robert de niro, will be stopping by. he has a new movie out. he'll tell us about that. and some other things going on. can't wait to see it. >> there is a great story about

how he was at one point dressed up as a homeless guy for the movie. at one point he was mistaken. people didn't know who he was and treated him like a homeless guy. >> we'll talk about that with him. natalie has a check of the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. former pennsylvania senator rick santorum says twin victories in the deep south prove he is the republican party's conservative choice for president. santorum swept tuesday's alabama and mississippi primaries. front-runner mitt romney finished third behind newt gingrich in both states. romney did win caucuses in hawaii and american samoa. defense secretary leon panetta arrived in afghanistan this morning for a previously unannounced visit. officials say the trip was planned months before sunday's massacre of 16 afghan civilians allegedly by an american soldier. meantime an afghan official says the u.s. military has shown him

surveillance video of the soldier sur wren rendering proving he acted alone. the dow rose 218 points on tuesday and the labor department reported the unemployment rate fell in 45 states in january. a sign that nearly all of the country is benefitting from the improving economy. an update on marilyn hall gerity, the 85-year-old restaurant review who has gone viral as we reported on tuesday for her glowing review of an olive garden. she's now in new york on a whirlwind tour and is reviewing some of the finest restaurants. she had her first taste of the classic new york staple, the street cart hot dog. never one to give negative reviews, she said the dog could have been hotter. she gave a thumbs up to the mustard and onion topics. after all, that makes the dog. now for a look at what's trending today, the quick round-up of what has you talking online. criminals turned liquid tide into liquid gold.

it's the top story on today.com. police say thieves are swiping tide by the basketful because it's easy to resell for quick cash on the streets. abraham lincoln's assassin is the talk of twitter. bobblehead dolls john wilkes booth have been pulled from the shelves. they were right next to his victim, our 16th president. and a blog about a dog who surely eats a balanced diet is being shared across the web. maddie belongs to a photographer who is documenting his travels. he says maddie prefers standing to lying down so he started putting her on top of things. now he puts the pictures on maddieonthings.com. that's quite a pose. 8:04 right now. back outside to matt, and ann. >> i think she wants a break. >> how do you know if maddie

likes that? >> i know. but the pictures are fantastic. meantime -- >> mr. roker. >> thank you very much. we have nice friends here to tell us about m.s. >> my name is sherry. i'm here to support m.s. awareness week to give information to people who don't know about m.s. will all those who have m.s. say hi? >> we find out more at msconnection.org. let's check your weather. evansville, indiana. 14 wfie. sunny, bezy and 79 degrees. man, what a day. we are talking about much of the eastern two-thirds of the country looking at plenty of sunshine. a lot of wet weather making its way into the pacific northwest, northern california. mountain snows and record highs from the plains down into texas. into the northeast and midatlantic states. a little leftover snow, maybe two to four inches in maine

including caribou. a back door cold front will bring temperatures down. still warmer than normal but dropping temperatures a little bit in the northeast. whoa, happy birthday. you better have that looked at. that doesn't look good. all right, cincinnati. i like the chili three-way. we've got a steady stream of moisture moving onshore. especially ad long the peninsul and up in marin county. and the showers, right now, are out there the worst for the morning. as we progress through the next two hours, they will starto wind down just a little bit. but we're still talking about moderate rainfall in places like richmond, the marina district getting hammered right now. the next few days we keep the showers in the mix. by saturday, we drop your temperatures, and the snow levels come down to 1,000 feet. and that's your latest weather, matt? >> thank you very much. when we come back, george clooney talks about a very important issue and his recent harrowing trip to africa.

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back with george clooney's mission to bring attention to the atrocities in the sudan. he traveled to the border region between sudan and south sudan where violence has been flaring up. he said he witnessed horrors first hand and got caught up in an attack. we sat down on tuesday hours after his return and i asked if this was his most dangerous trip to date. >> sure. i think you were just there. you would agree that it's gotten heated. so, yeah. it was hairy. there were moments that were dangerous. >> what made it dangerous? >> the randomness of the violence. people are getting killed and hurt all over. there were 39 people in the village we were in in the last month had been killed. 39. 514 injured. 39 killed in a village of 1,000 people.

you know, that's just in one village. >> by? >> by bashir. >> the president of sudan. >> three guys who were charged for war crimes in darfur are the exact same people bombing innocent people. they are living in caves because they are getting bombed. they are getting bombed every day. this is not a military exercise. these are innocent people. it is a war crime. >> what's your evidence? you went there with cameras? >> we went with cameras. we have evidence of that. we have certainly firsthand evidence. >> this was yesterday? [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> we showed up in one village. there were 150 people who came out and were cheering for us to come. clearly someone had told them we were coming. they probably had seen one of my films. and then all of the sudden,

everyone just started running. >> we're going to go. >> move. >> a rocket just sailed over there. let's see if we can see what it hit. you can see the kids. take a look over here. this is everybody headed into the caves to hide. >> how close was the rocket to you? >> about a kilometer away, the first one. it was close enough to feel it. it was close enough to make you -- wake you up. >> at one point you walk up to an unexploded bomb. >> yeah. >> yesterday at 10:30 in the morning, 15 bombs hit this tiny village where everyone is hiding in the rocks. and this is an unexploded bomb. it's buried up to its neck in the dirt.

that's what you do with unexploded bombs? >> he kept putting the bushes on it. i'm like, it's okay. you can leave them there. >> you can stop moving the bushes and step back slowly. >> i believe we'll just leave that there. that was interesting. the interesting thing was watching the fear. this whole thing is about fear and intimidation. this is ethnic cleansing. it's that simple. by identity they want them to leave. >> how do you know it's ethnic cleansing? >> they are only getting rid of people who are nonarab, period, that's it. at the end of the day what it all comes down to is creating space to get to the oil. at the end of the day, it's oil. south sudan has the oil and north sudan has the refineries. that's a problem. >> why do you risk your life? why care so much? this is your sixth trip to this region. why sudan? >> once you get there and you see people that, left to their

own devices, without being attacked have lived and survived and thrived in areas that are very difficult to do because they are survivors. but let's take it away from that for a second. the important thing is why everyone at home? why people in the united states? let's take away the idea that we are the most generous nation in the world. let's take away all the facts that we care about people. let's go completely selfishly and talk about economics. right now, what is going on in the sudan changes the cost of your gas every single day of your life. if for no other reason than your economic interests, there is plenty of reason to make sure that your government is involved in trying to secure some form of peace. >> you have said, i would like indicted war criminals to enjoy the same level of celebrity as

me. okay. make them famous. >> make them famous. >> omar al bashir, hussein, hahroun, taha. quite a few guys should be remembered like kony. i know that's become a big issue here. while we were on the road we found out about that. >> what do you think? >> i think it's great. the best takeaway is that if that means people across the country and across the world know the name of a war criminal, good. they should know the name of all the war criminals. >> some people watching this are going to wonder how they should square this passionate activist talking about global politics, the price of oil and sudan with the guy they see as an award-winning actor. >> not so much award winning recently. >> with a great sense of -- want

to say more about that? >> i would like to talk about that. >> are you inspired by what you have seen? >> there is always inspiration in those kind of moments. you feel an enormous sense of responsibility. we are only successful as a human race by how we look out to the people who can't look out for themselves. >> on that point, george clooney will testify about what he has witnessed before the senate foreign relations committee today. he will visit the oval office for a meeting with president obama and the secretary of state hillary clinton. he's also planning to protest in front of the embassy on friday. we are now going to switch gears. on a different note we'll ask, ?s your marriage goodghrenou good enough? what you can do to improve it coming up right after this. ♪ ♪

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story. good morning. >> good morning. author liz wiler thought her relationship could use improvement. she wrote about her great experiment for the new york times. if it ain't broke, don't fix it. that pretty much describes many couples' approach to married life. it wasn't good enough for this san francisco journalist. nine years and two kids into what she describes as a happy, stable marriage, she decided to examine her relationship, going to different types of therapy to find out how to improve it. >> the research says the average couple is unhappy for six years before going to therapy. at that point it's like you broke your leg six years ago and you have been limping around. you haven't had medical care and you finally go in. part of what i was interested in was not waiting. >> it sounded like a nightmare to me. what's any guy going to say when your wife says, hey, i have a great idea.

let's experiment with with marriage improvement techniques. >> there are a huge number of marriage therapists out there. they have hugely varying degrees of skill and experiment. >> reporter: she says the wrong therapist can lead couples toward a divorce they may not really want. >> you need to be with someone good. you need to be with someone who knows what they are doing. >> people go to marriage counseling to get divorced. when you hear, if a friend confesses to you, yeah, actually, we're going to marriage counseling, your immediate thought is, oh, wow, their marriage is done. >> reporter: they are both writers who work from home and split household responsibilities. even people who spend a lot of time together and use words for a living can use some extra help. >> man, i walked out of the counseling sessions a couple of times feeling like, wow, this is terrific! you know? this is working out great for me. i'm scoring points here. >> reporter: but for all the

hours spent in therapy, the most memorable part of the marriage improvement project didn't require any talking at all. >> the best thing we did was we trained together for a swim to alcatraz from san francisco. we did the swim. it was bonding and exhilarating. it was all the qualities i feel 10, 12 years into a marriage we are all hoping to reclaim. >> most of us aren't going to do extreme sports on date night but she says the key is to take on a challenge that you and your spouse can do together. she says anything you can do to get out of your routine may be the best form of couples therapy. matt? >> amy, thank you very much. elizabeth and her husband dan are with us now. she's the author of "no cheating, no dying." i had a good marriage and i tried to make it better. judith sills is here as well. good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> did you feel something had gone out of your marriage in the 10 or so years you were married

or did you just think you hadn't reached your potential? >> i thought we hadn't reached our potential. you know, our kids were young. we were in the stage where there is a lot of attention paid to making sure the kids get to sleep, to preschool and all of that stuff. it was more that i wanted it to be all it could be. >> you had a good marriage. >> a great marriage. >> dan, she says, we have a good marriage but i want to explore it. that's, we're having a good day, but i want to be audited by the irs. how did you react? >> the metaphor was why not see if we can peel our skin off? i didn't react well. it sounded terrible to me. >> when you first started counseling, were there days -- you say you had good days where you walked outgoing, yeah, i'm doing well. were there days you walked out in worse shape than you walked in? is. >> of course. you're stirring the pot of your life. you're getting all the gunk to

come to the surface. of course there were some bad things. >> judith, i think this isn't for everyone. >> i'm thinking it isn't for everyone because a good marriage is great. if you say, i have a good marriage, that is great, but you asked another question. you said, i have a good marriage, what can i put in to strengthen it and that is for everyone, every day. >> a statistic here. we conducted a survey on today.com asking the following question. do you have a good marriage? 86% said yes. 14% said no. then we asked another question. are there areas where you would like to improve your marriage? 87% said yes, 13% said no. the same number basically say they can do better. >> good marriage. yes, it can be better. >> how do you define good today versus how you defined it before this whole experiment. >> good today is more about acceptance. good today is not worrying that dan leaves brown socks around

the house. >> is that because you don't worry anymore or he doesn't do it? >> i don't worry. >> he still does it. >> have you improved at all? >> i no longer slip fried pig's ears into salad and try to tell her they're croutons. >> that's good. >> what's the big change in the marriage for you? >> i feel more comfortable leaving brown socks around the house. i feel comfortable cooking crazy stuff. >> everyone is relaxed. is that part of it? >> everyone's relaxed. everyone is in a place of realizing we love each other in particular. let's not worry about, you know, our small eccentricities. we are who we are. let's embrace them. >> don't measure yourself against an abstract standard of good enough, i love you. >> the marriage association called and said, thank you very

much. this will be great for re. we're back after your local news and weather. this is today in the bay. good morning to you. 8:26 right now. it's officially official, santa clara stadium is a go. they approved the lease, budget and terms of the $1.2 billion stadium project. 68,000-seat facility will be built. the team will pay the city $30 million per year. construction will start in just a couple of months. and the stadium should be ready for the 2014 season. right now, most likely got to worry about the roads if

you're headed out the door. pretty slick out there. >> very slow for many parts of the bay. san mateo, the rain just coming through. 280 really hit hard. that's why there's unusual slowing there. 92 over the water as well. it's been a nightmare for west bound and northbound. just jammed up still. accidents have cleared, but slammed all the way up to the maze. down the east shore freeway, 55 minutes from the bridge down to the toll plaza. thank you very much. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook.

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8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 14th of march 2012. we have a massive crowd. part of our rolling spring break in rockefeller plaza. we're glad to give them this opportunity with their boas and all to say hi to family and friends back home. meantime we're out on the plaza. we have a big story about a big

happening at the supermarket. >> more men are out there doing the grocery shopping. so stores have gotten hip to that. they're saying, wait a second. what can we do to make the experience better for men and attract more men to buy more? >> free bacon samples. >> potatoes. >> we'll talk about how stores are getting macho. >> are you doing enough to save for retirement? jean chatzky says no and she has great, important and easy to follow advice to help you build that emergency cushion. she has a new book out. we'll talk to her. >> also for parents if you have children in day care are they getting the stimulation they need? much of a child's foundation for learning is established in the first two years of life, as you know. according to a recent study many day cares aren't fulfilling the primary needs. jenna bush hager will have more on this coming up. >> she looks luminous. let's bring in amanda peet.

tell us about your new character and why a comedy? >> i'm so excited to do another comedy. it's an opposites attract romantic comedy. i play a type a lawyer whose ex-husband is in jail for securities fraud. i fall in love with my contractor who's a sexy, pot smoking motorcycle riding good for nothing. >> something you said in the preinterview i liked. in the best tradition of a show like moonlighting you like the opposite attracts situation especially when the two characters almost hate the fact that they are attracted to each other. >> i love that. i get uncomfortable in the audience because it's suspenseful. you want them to be together, but you understand it's a contentious relationship. yes, i love playing that. and my beautiful, gorgeous costar david walton is --

beautiful. >> he's beautiful and gorgeous. >> and you have a terrific supporting cast. jeffrey tamber, jamie smooth. >> i can't function because i'm worshiping my costars. we feel really, really lucky. everyone's brilliantly funny and so, yeah. >> you're a brilliant working mom as well. i know you found a way to manage balancing career and the kids. >> i have? am i managing it? >> do you bring them to the set? >> yes. they came to the set sometimes in their pajamas and frankie, my older daughter would do the clapper and say we're going on a bell! >> not the kind that turns the lights off. >> how are you this funny this early? >> we're punchy, not funny. >> congratulations.

the series premiere of "bent" is on wednesday with two episodes starting at 9:00/8:00 central time here on nbc. >> nice to see you. >> thank you. >> mr. roker. >> afternoon temperatures today, we're talking 30s, 40s and 60s in new england. 50s in the northern plains. look at the temperatures. the mississippi river valley, plains, southeast, midatlantic states with temperatures in the 80s. much above normal for march. to the end of march below normal along the coast. above normal on the eastern seaboard. above normal back through much of the plains. you can see record highs in the plains into the lower mississippi river valley. more heavy rain in the pacific northwest. northern california, heavy mountain snows. a gorgeous day along the northeast and midatlantic coast. look for mountain snows in northern new england.

the bay area coastline is getting battered by heavy downpours. san jose getting kind of a break this morning. just very, very light mist rolling through your area. but you're about a half hour, hour away from steady rain, light rain moving into the south bay. as we continue through the day, you'll continue to see these very heavy cells push onshore, at least in the next couple hours. afternoon, the activity starts to wind down. we get another system late friday and saturday. and that's your latest weather. ann? >> thanks, al. >> we want to say hello to robert de niro. yeah, robert de niro is on the couch. big time oscar winner stars in "being flynn" playing a man who drinks too much, spends time in prison and abandons his family until his son tries to reconnect. good to see you. >> how are you? >> kind of a guy at odds with himself, this character. why do you like him? >> i liked paul white, the

director and screenwriter, adapter, if you will, of the book. i liked his intensity about it. his passion, if you will. it's a word i can't stand is, but he has a personal reason for wanting to do the movie. if somebody has that kind of feeling already to me, you know, you're 70% there. plus what i have seen in paul's other work, i knew it was going to be special. not necessarily that it would be something i would be going after or try to develop. but with him, being at the helm, if you will, i would say this would be worth doing. >> is it true you get back behind the wheel of a taxi in this movie? >> yeah. >> as part of the character? >> yeah. >> that must have been interesting. you probably haven't driven a taxi since "taxi". >> "taxi driver," right.

>> that must have been fun. >> that was something else. >> the movie is a memoir based on the book by nick flynn about this estranged father-son relationship. >> yeah. >> you, as a father of six kids now, what did you take away from doing this? >> well, the father, his father is kind of a guy that in some ways i don't understand. because he's totally abandoned in a sense, self-involved. >> and homeless. >> becomes homeless eventually. to me it's somebody who's been avoiding his whole life what he wants to do which is to be a great writer. not just a writer, but a great writer. he deludes himself into thinking he is. of course, he's not. and the whole thing is that the son does carry that mantel, if

you will. that's the nice thing about it. >> you disappear into characters and you disappear into this guy. you went into the greenwich hotel downtown as the homeless character and security was called because they thought there was a homeless man in the hotel. you were confronted. and the funny part is you own that hotel. that had to create -- how did you like seeing the hotel operate from that side of things? >> you know, i didn't blame the security. they didn't want me in. i said, i wouldn't want somebody like myself in there either. >> but they are still employed. >> coming up, you have the tribeca film festival on the way. you're busy. nice of you to take time for us this morning. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> lots of good buzz. >> "being flynn" opens nationwide friday. up next, noticed a change at the grocery store like a guy like

robert de niro walking in dressed as a homeless man? what stores are doing to attract male shoppers. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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back now at 8:40. if you have been to the grocery store you may have seen manufacture men doing the shopping and supermarkets are taking notice. kevin tibbles is in chicago with more on the story. hey, kevin. good morning. >> reporter: ann, there was a time when you wouldn't see that many men out doing the shopping, but these days in the aisles, the times, they are achanging. ♪ lost in the supermarket no more if you're a guy. >> on a weekly basis i shop maybe three, four times a week. >> i just enjoy it. it's relaxing for me. >> reporter: of course to some

men it's just work. >> to me it's a chore i like to get done. >> reporter: we wanted to find out why increasing numbers of males are getting it done when it comes to taking control of the cart. >> this is what guys want. >> in here it's a free-for-all. >> welcome to beer heaven. >> reporter: we went shopping with men's health senior contributing editor matt bean at mariano's fresh market to see what guys are cruising the aisles for. if you're a red-blooded male this gets your attention. >> this is something a lot of places have beefed up on, no pun intended. >> reporter: yes, beef, and other man friendly items. one survey showed that in 51% of households, men are the primary shoppers. nothing like a frozen pizza. >> $3? can't beat that. >> reporter: it's no longer just

pizza or manwich for us guys. wherever you look, supermarkets are more man friendly from freshly prepared foods to a dazzling display of vitamins and grooming products. >> now as you see we have a wall of deodorant choices here. this is almost stifling. >> reporter: i want my own guy-aisle. why are grocery stores going macho? because men, quite frankly, are easy marks. >> guys are mission oriented. we are also bigger impulse buyers. when you get us in a supermarket, watch out. >> reporter: don't believe me? just ask the women. >> when it comes to buying, he just grabs. i'm more specific. >> she tells me stay away from this place, this place. she knows i'll see it and i might buy it. >> reporter: men are also likely to pay full price. men don't coupon clip, do they?

>> have you ever clipped a coupon? >> reporter: negative. so if you are letting the man of the house loose in the supermarket, make sure he's thoroughly trained. >> i don't have to do anything. i just sit at home, send him to the grocery store. >> reporter: these aisles were once the domain of the lady of the house, but no more. grocery shopping is every bit a man's world. and as men's health's matt bean tells us, ladies, if you don't want your guy to go rogue, send him armed with a list and tell him to stick to it. what was my impulse buy this morning? corned beef, of course. it's st. patrick's day, after all. >> that's a good choice. you look like trouble though. >> reporter: this thing weighs ten pounds. >> kevin tibbles, thank you for your reporting. up next, jean chatzky's money rules to live by.

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>> announcer: today's money is brought to you by bank of america. >> this morning on today's money, financial rules to live by. despite years of saving 50% of people will run out of money during retirement. what can you do to make sure it doesn't happen to you? jean chatzky is the author of "money rules, the simple path to lifelong security." welcome. >> tank you. >> these are simple rules you explain in perfect ways. let's get to them. if you can't see it and you can't touch it, you won't spend it. >> this is why 401(k) works. you have to get the money out of your line of sight. you can do it for other things. any goal you want to save for, get the money into a separate account. >> how about this one?

just because someone will lend it to you doesn't mean you should borrow it. >> this is the lesson of the credit crisis. the whole housing bust and boom. banks now are willing to lend you a lot of money for a mortgage. maybe more than you can afford. don't take it. and don't take the high credit limits either. know your own budget and keep yourself in check. >> this next one has entered my life on a number of occasions, i will be honest. don't shop angry, don't shop sad, don't shop hungry. >> three rules. don't shop angry because you're more optimistic and you are likely to take foolish risks buying things. by the way, investing in things. when you feel sad you have a hole in your sad you're looking to fill up and a new pair of shoes might do it. >> it makes you feel good for a little while. >> then you feel really bad afterwards. >> and hungry. >> you go into the warehouse stores. you have samples and you come home with a tent you didn't go

to buy in the first place. it gets you going. and drinking the wine and cheese things at that time neighborhood boutique, stay away. >> i have gotten good use out of that tent. if you can't explain it, don't buy it. >> any investment you do not understand does not belong in your portfolio. >> why? some could be really good but it's above your head. >> if it's above your head a financial adviser should be able to explain it to you so you do understand it. if you can't wrap your brain around it, it doesn't belong. >> this one will get people thinking. count dollars like calories. >> you should be tracking your spending. that's the thing that will get most people on track. you know, i read michael pollen's book "food rules" and i started quoting him like crazy. i thought, this is what we need for money. we tried to simplify. >> the best cost-cutting tool is a good night's sleep. >> absolutely. >> everything in your life you can say that about. >> if you don't wake up 24 hours later, you don't need it. >> i like the way you have

broken it down. good book. it's "money rules." up next, is your child's day care doing enough to boost learning at an early age? jenna bush hager has the results of an alarming study. first, this is "today" on nbc. an ordinary breakfast pastry that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy.

back now at 8:51 with an eye opening look at the importance of quality day care center from

millions of infants in the u.s. jenna bush hager is here with details. good to see you. >> hi, ann. during the first two years of life the brain is at its most vulnerable. in some day care centers where kids aren't learning they fall way behind. that window can be a predictor for the rest of a child's life. life for high school seniors is almost always busy, juggling early mornings and school work. >> want to help mom? >> reporter: for 18-year-olds it has complexities. here she's raising two young boys who are under the age of 3 and only ten months apart. >> it's hard. it's hard because at times i'm a mother and father to my kids. >> reporter: although glamorized on tv and in celebrity magazines, in reality -- >> color right there. >> reporter: young teenaged moms have a lot to worry about. like dismal day care.

>> they usually sat down and it's like one teacher with 20 students. and if they didn't want to do nothing they will just make them watch tv. >> reporter: wendy's kids are not alone. approximately 7 million toddlers in the u.s. get care from somebody other than a relative and a recent study found only 8% of infant care centers are of good or excellent quality. >> many children spend a lot of time without having anyone talk to them, without being picked up. there are many children spending their days in front of television sets. by the time they are ready for kindergarten they may be two years behind well to do peers. >> reporter: the head of the center for early childhood education at harvard has new research that shows how negligent in the first few years of life changes a child's brain forever. >> when a child is getting almost no stimulation the brain starts to lose its architecture.

you can see some of the connections wither away and you have death of brain cells. the result is a brain that's less well wired for learning and development. this is not about everybody ending up the same. this is about everybody starting at a level playing field. >> reporter: a level playing field is all wendy wants for her sons. >> they are learning so much, every second. >> reporter: it turns out just across town from wendy lives su srs susie sprks bu -- buffett. he chose not to give money to his children but give them billions for philanthropy. >> i believe that most of the kids popped out with the ability to learn and succeed but they don't have the opportunity. so they end up going to kindergarten unprepared and everything starts going

downhill. if we can change that it will change the k through 12 system and other things in the country. >> reporter: susie is putting time and resources behind a new child care system called edu-care. what's different between what you see here and what you see in ineffective child care systems? >> it's quality. certified teachers in every classroom. it's low ratio. for the young kids it's 3 to 1. kids walk into kindergarten prepared and on a same level with their peers. >> reporter: wendy's kids are now being cared for here. >> they have learned a lot. i look at my son and he's doing everything. he's talking, walking, saying his numbers. he knows what he's doing. >> reporter: does it make you feel proud as a mom? >> it makes me feel good. >> reporter: the boys may have started at a zdisadvantage. now they are ahead of the game. for too many, that creates obstacles that will last a

lifetime. we don't want to scare parents or make them worry. appropriate stimulation is everything from reading to playing to simply speaking with your children. it's the simple things that help form the foundation for the rest of their lives. >> that's a really good story, jenna. >> thank you. >> it doesn't just help children and families. it helps our company. >> economy. economists talk about how important it is. >> well done. >> thanks. >> just ahead, answers to your most pressing financial emergencies. first, these messages and your local news. 8:56 right now. oakland police are investigating an officer involved shooting. it started with a confrontation between an officer and armed man just before 9:00 last night. at 90th and cherry street. the man was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable

condition. no officers were hurt. let's get a check on the forecast with meteorologist christine loren. >> upwards of five inches of rain over the past 24 hours. you really want to travel cautiously through the santa cruz mountains and the peninsula where the rain is just relentless. the heavier rain is trending to the south. south bay, you're about an hour out from the rain. we'll clear out for the second half of today. by tomorrow morning, nice and clear. heavy rain moves in tomorrow night and friday. noooo! [ male announcer ] yep, subway broke the 200-calorie breakfast barrier. with delicious fresh fit mornin' melt breakfast sandwiches. subway. eat fresh.

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back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 14th day of march 2012. and just another chance to say hi to some of the people who have come to new york on perhaps one of the nicest weeks of weather we have had in years. three days in a row reaching 70 degrees in the month of march. that doesn't happen often. not a lot of complaints about it. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. coming up, we're going to talk more about a case making big headlines not only in florida where it's happening but now all across the country.

>> that's right. this involves a millionaire on trial accused of manslaughter in a driving under the influence case. a young man perished in the accident. what's happening is there is a lot of controversy because he adopted his own girlfriend in an effort to shield some of his fortunes. now testimony is under way. the defense is claiming he was the victim. we're going to explain that coming up in a report. >> health news, you may or may not know march is colon cancer awareness month and there are a lot of misconceptions about the disease. it is not just a man's disease. other people worry that colonoscopies are painful. we'll find out the facts about colon health. >> and later on, with rising gas prices, millions of americans still unemployed, money is tight. we have our money 911 crew here to answer questions about whether to refinance your mortgage, close a store credit card and how to protect yourself from bouncing checks. >> sounds like we have a busy

hour ahead. let's get started at the news desk with natalie and the headlines. >> good morning. gop presidential hopeful rick santorum swept the south last night winning both the alabama and mississippi primaries. coming in second in both states was newt gingrich, pushing one-time front-runner mitt romney to third place. romney did have two smaller victories to celebrate this morning. he won the contests in american samoa and hawaii. leon panetta is in afghanistan today. the visit was planned months ago but has taken on new significance just days after a u.s. soldier allegedly went on a shooting rampage, killing 16 afghan civilians. meantime afghan officials say they have surveillance video of the lone soldier surrendering, proof he acted alone. an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 is jolted the tokyo area this morning. it came hours after a stronger magnitude 6.8 quake in northern japan in an area still

recovering from the massive earthquake and tsunami a year ago. there were no reports of injuries or significant damage from either of today's quakes. a bus carrying belgian students home from a swiss skiing holiday crashed overnight, killing at least 28 people including 22 kids. 24 other children were injured. police say they are investigating what caused the bus to veer directly into a tunnel wall. testimony is now under way at the dui manslaughter trial of a florida millionaire charged in an accident that killed a 23-year-old driver. it's a case that received a lot of attention because of an unusual move by the defendant. mark potter is in west palm beach with more. good morning, mark. >> good morning to you, natalie. the case drew national attention when the wealthy defendant adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend to protect some of that wealth. now john goodman is in a fight for his life.

police say he was drunk and left the scene of the accident but the defense claims he was a victim. >> the case of state of florida versus goodman. >> reporter: he's charged with dui manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in which 23-year-old scott wilson was killed by drowning in a canal. in the opening statement the prosecutor said right after speeding through a stop sign and crashing his bentley into wilson's car, goodman left the victim to die. >> he hit scott wilson, pushed that hyundai across the street through the dirt and it rolled into the canal upside down. scott wilson didn't die from blunt trauma. he drowned. and what did the defendant do? he walked away. >> reporter: the prosecution says goodman who owns the international polo club in florida had been partying and drinking with friends before getting in his car. >> three hours after this crash the defendant's b.a.c. was .17,

more than twice the legal limit. >> reporter: famed defense attorney roy black offered another explanation. he told the jury the bentley malfunctioned and roared out of control through the stop sign. >> all of the sudden the car surges forward. you see him trying to control this enormously powerful car. unbeknownst to john goodman the throttles that run the fuel into the engine are not working properly. >> reporter: black said at the time of the accident goodman was not drunk and only drank heavily after leaving the scene to find a phone because his cell phone was dead. >> for the next hour, the only pain relief he was able to find comes from a bottle of alcohol. >> reporter: black says goodman didn't abandon wilson. in the dark he didn't know he had been pushed into the canal. he said before calling 911 he called his girlfriend because he

was delirious from the accident and hers was the only number he could remember. last year goodman adopted the 42-year-old to protect some of his wealth. over the weekend it was reported that goodman and the victim's family reached an undisclosed settlement in the civil case although none of the lawyers is talking about that. in the criminal case, goodman could get up to 30 years in prison if convicted. natalie, back to you. >> thank you, mark. restrooms are being restocked with toilet paper in the new jersey state capitol. supplies had dwindled to few rolls at more than a dozen city buildings in trenton. the city council refused to okay the contract for paper products because it included 4,000 dollars in paper cups. after negative publicity they approved the emergency purchase of a six-month toilet paper supply. that's a good thing.

now six minutes past the hour. let's turn it over to al with a check of the weather. >> now we know why they have been writing all those tickets -- extra paper. let's show you what we have for today. pacific northwest. it will get hammered. three storms back to back. they have more coming. we have rain from northern california into the pacific northwest. mountain snows as well. we're talking anywhere from two to four feet of snow in the cascades and the sierra. also looking at one to three inches of rain. some areas locally five inches. temperatures way above normal. 10 to 30 degrees above normal. today in minneapolis, a high of 72 degrees. 75 in detroit. 77 in chicago. well, light to moderate rain continuing to stream onshore. and now the heavier rain is starting to trend to the south bay. the heaviest rain so far this morning has been concentrated

over the peninsula, especially the coastal mountains. pretty active cell moving towards pacifica in the next ter minutes. that cell will now be moving toward santa clara in the next 56 minutes. it will be in san mateo in the next 11 minutes. travel cautiously. more rain on the way throughout the week. ♪ money, money, money >> time for today's money 911. that's where our team of experts tackle your financial problems. today we have sharon epperson, cnbc's personal finance correspondent. david bach, founder of finish rich.com and author of "debt free for life" and farnoos farnoosh torabi, host of financially fit on yahoo finance. we have a lot of questions. we have a call-in from jamie, a young person in new mexico. good morning. what's your question? >> caller: good morning. i'm 59 years old. i still have 24 years left on my mortgage. my house payment goes up every

year and i'm considering refinancing to lower the payments. should i assume that i would never pay off my mortgage at this age and refinance for 30 years or should i refinance for 50 years and keep the higher monthly payment? i'm wondering if i should investment in retirement or pay off my house? >> what do you think? >> it comes down to how much her terms are for the mortgage. if she's able to shave off at least one percent or half a percent it makes sense to refinance. she has to find the break even point. you can look at a lot of calculators online to do that. the key will be whether or not you want to get the 30-year or 15-year. if you can shave off enough you can refinance. but make sure your monthly housing payments are less than what you are paying now. as long as you can do it with a 15-year go for that. if it's a higher payment, i'd say not to do that. in terms of retirement, unless you have enough money in emergency savings, eight months worth of living expenses, paid

off your credit cards and you are already putting 15% away for retirement i would not say to pay off the house before saving for retirement. at 59, the key is to make sure you have cash to pay your expenses including a mortgage. you want the flexibility to do that. a tax advantage retirement account would allow you to do that. if you put the money in the house it's tied up and you don't have access to it. don't do that. >> thank you, jamie. now an e-mail. james from rhode island writes, after several insufficient funds fees assessed to her account my wife was told she should deposit her checks as cash to avoid having the bank place a hold on those funds. she says this worked for her. i wonder how they make it work and if it's something others could take advantage of. >> i don't like that she's bouncing checks, living paycheck to paycheck. if it's the employment check she should not walk the check to the bank. she should have the money

automatically deposited in the account. that way it clears instantly. if she walk it is check to the bank it depends where the check is from. if it's the same bank. if you give me a check from your bank they will say, hey, i can clear al's check. from a different bank it could take 5 to 10 days. a government check takes two to three days. the bank manager can sometimes make exceptions. for the most part they don't unless there is money in your bank account. they don't want to take the risk of checks bouncing. >> enough money to cover the check you're depositing. >> she should opt for overdraft protection. if she's getting a fee every time. >> check link your checking and savings so the money can come from there. >> if she opts out for not having the check covered she'll get a late fee anyway. don't write a check you can't afford. >> good advice.

now to skype. joined by jessica. good morning. >> my question is i opened a credit card through one of the furniture companies to have no interest for a year. i paid it off within two months. now i have this credit card i no longer need to use. is it possible for me to close it or will that affect my credit? >> you can close the account. in general we have talked ad nauseam about how it's important to keep credit cards open even after you have paid them off because having the line of credit helps your credit score. calculators like to see that you have ample sufficient credit in your name, even if you are not using it. a little bit of difference with store credit cards. they are structured differently. the limit on store cards is generally little compared to a bank issued major credit card. a lot of times they start you with $1 ,000 or $1,500 at most.

assuming you have other credit cards in the mix, closing a store card is not as negative as closing a card with a $10,000 limit. if this is not your only credit card and it does have a small limit in the grand scheme of things this is not going to hurt your score. if you want to get rid of it and it's keeping you up at night. >> thanks so much. we have lee anne from texas. good morning. >> good morning. my question is one of our credit cards went to collections. we have been working with them for the last six months on a payment plan. they recently offered to let us settle for half the amount owed. my husband wants to hire a lawyer and let them work with the company to help us settle the debt and remove it from our credit. >> i don't think the lawyers will do what they say they can. my husband thinks if we settle the collection agency will still owe the remaining amount due. what should we do?

>> i think her husband wants the certainty that this will get done. you can have that by getting everything in writing. that's the key. of course this is a negative entry on your credit report and it could stay for seven years. the good thing is it counts less along the way. look for a paid for delete letter. figure out a sample form of that. you want to contact the collection agency, come up with an agreement to the terms you decide on whether it's paying half the amount, the full amount. even if it's a settlement for half the amount that it says paid in full in your agreement. don't pay anything, not one dime until you get it in writing. send everything certified mail so you have a receipt for all the information. check your credit report. make sure it's gone or at least says paid in full. your credit score should improve. on the right track. >> best of luck. sharon, david and farnoosh, thank you. stick around, we have more answers to your questions during

the next hour or so for those of you on the east coast. that's at today.com. up next, we are talking about colon cancer. we have important health advice. later on, is nicollette sheridan's case crumbling? poor baby. the latest twist in the "desperate housewives" trial. first, these messages. family together for breakfaste might seem... ♪ ...impossible. no, no... well how about the purp? ew! ♪ yeah. wow. unless you have eggo® waffles. they're quick and easy to make, and there's something about them... that just makes people move. [ male announcer ] golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. who says breakfast together can't be done? [ male announcer ] eggo® waffles. simply delicious.

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super for the fiber that helps fill us up. super for the energy it gives to get us going. super for the oats that are so good for our hearts. ♪ super for how it makes us... super. quaker oats. energy. fiber. heart health. super people eat super grains. >> announcer: today's health is brought to you by the american cancer society, the official respon sponsor of birthdays. >> this morning on today's health, the truth about your colon. march is colon cancer awareness month. it's a good time to separate fact from fiction. dr. raj is a "today" contributor and a gastroenterologist at nyu medical center in new york city. good morning. you're the perfect person to talk to about this. >> that's right. >> you can't say enough about the importance of colon health

in general. >> absolutely. your colon or large intestine helps you eliminate waste, toxins. it's a site of one of the most common cancers worldwide. we need to know everything about colon cancer. >> let's do myth versus fact. a lot of people think colon cancer is a man's disease. not true? >> absolutely not. colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer and cancer death for men and women. it happens almost as equal for men and women. >> the next myth or fact. if you have no family history of colon cancer you don't need to be screened. >> not true at all. most cases of colon cancer occur in people that don't have relatives who had colon cancer. even if you have no family history at the appropriate age which is 50 for most people you need to be screened. >> if you have it in the family should you get an earlier screening? >> most likely, yes. it depends what age the relative was when they got colon cancer and how close the relative is.

discuss it with your doctor. >> our next myth or fact. colonoscopies are painful. >> this is one a lot of people worry about and it prevents people from going to get this life-saving test. you get sedation for a colonoscopy. you should not feel pain. most of the time you're totally asleep. you may be in a twilight state, groggy. not painful at all. >> the truth is it's what you have to do to prepare that isn't painful but it is uncomfortable. >> annoying. the preparation is what you're talking about. yes, you need to h h good day in just a moment we'll switch to the white house where at two podiums in the rose garden we are going to hear from president obama and british prime minister david cameron, who's in the middle of what we

can't quite call a state visit, because the queen of england is the head of state, but this is an official visit with a state dinner later tonight. you see the press corps there waiting to the left and, again, we're expecting the two leaders to come out of the building at any moment. this has been an action-packed 24 hours already. david cameron with whom we sat down for an interview just monday in london arrived to an elaborate welcome, the largest for any visiting dignitary so far in the obama presidency. you see the blossoms on the trees already in what is a summer-like washington, d.c. last night the two men took in an ncaa basketball game in ohio. the british prime minister has been briefed for days on the ins and outs of the american sport of basketball. the two men had hot dogs together, seemed to enjoy themselves. the president describing

everything all along the way. chuck todd is among the members of the press corps waiting for the two to appear in the white house rose garden. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, brian. what's interesting about the way this official visit has gone, domestic politics in here for both men. you have the president happening, luckily for him, those first games of the ncaa tournament happened to be in dayton, ohio. you can see the coverage he got in dayton, ohio, just happened to be a swing state for the election. some of these events are also designed to reinforce the nature of the special relationship which is important to cameron's own domestic politics back at home. today you'll hear the big focus and the questions of the press corps have been our focus over the last 48 hours is what is going on in afghanistan, about this idea of the timetable, is it sped up or not? a nato summit where they formalize the timetable of the slow withdrawal of troops. obviously, not only the american

patient running thin, but uk public and we've seen a lot of coalition partners begin to speed up when they withdraw troops from afghanistan. a lot of pressure there and what the two men say about that is probably issue one here, brian. >> chuck todd, we'll let you sit down and await the start. i meant to say good afternoon, instead of good morning. david gregly will watch all of this with us. moderator of "meet the press" in the d.c. newsroom. david, when we sat down with cameron, again, just on monday, the shock of the massacre was still setting in, as were questions about whether or not it would affect the overall mission. >> well, i think this is a critical point, not just in afghanistan, but also questions of iran at a time when both the u.s. and britain are thinking about how to reset the allied foreign policy in the rest of the world as these two men sit on the world stage at such an important juncture where there

are emerging threats and threats they hope are in decline and what is front and center of this discussion about afghanistan. how does this president and our allies define an end game there when the end game may be muddled and may fall short of some of the initial nation building goals. a bottom line of security and why we're in afghanistan in the first place. >> there's a shot available to us showing very close up the door and the side of the oval office where we believe the two men will exit to come out to the podiums. it's interesting, by percentage of population, the brits have lost 404 in afghanistan. it is a higher sacrifice by a slight percentage than the united states and the war in afghanistan. but to call them our most steadfast ally is absolutely

accurate. and cameron is feeling the pressure about the mission the same way barack obama is. richard engel is standing by for us in afghanistan in kabul. and, richard, we keep hearing that there could be an uprising, a reprivsal as you pointed out n "nightly news" last night. still, no glimmer of that. >> so far we have not seen the kind of violent response that came after the burning of the kk koran incident. there was violence in this country, two attacks, but unclear if they were related or taken in reciprocity for the massacre that was carried out by that u.s. soldier. what the two attacks were more along the scale of the everyday kind of violence here. nine people killed in those two attacks, both of them in southern afghanistan. but this is the environment that secretary panetta did arrive to and he's expected to meet with

president karzai tomorrow. >> richard engel, thanks. those familiar with this format, we'll have opening statements and questions for members of both press corpses. >> good afternoon, everyone. please, have a seat. again, it is a great honor to welcome my friend and partner, prime minister david cameron back to the white house for this official visit. i know there's been a lot of focus on last night's game. some have asked how it came about. i want to set the record straight. during my visit to london last year, david arranged for us to play some local students' table tennis as they would say in britain, we got thrashed. so, when it came to sports on this visit, i thought it would be better if we just watched. that said, i'm still trying to get daveituid to fill out his bracket. we just finished up a very good discussion and why i value david's leadership and partnership so much.

he appreciates the alliance between our countries as a foundation, but for international peace and security, as well. david shares my belief that in a time of rapid change, the leadership of the united states and the united kingdom is more important than ever and we share the view that the future we seek is only possible if the rights and responsibilities of nations and people are upheld, and that's a cause that we advance today. at a time when too many of our people are still out of work. we agree that we have to stay focused on creating the growth and jobs that put our people back to work, even as both our countries make difficult choices to put our fiscal house in order. between us, we have the largest investment relationship in the world and we've instructed our teams to continue to explore ways to increase transatlantic trade and investment. and i very much appreciate david's perspective on the fiscal situation in the euro zone where both our countries, our economies, our businesses,

our banks are deeply connected. we moved on to discuss afghanistan where we are the two largest contributors of forces to the international mission and where our forces continue to make extraordinary sacrifices. the tragic events of recent days are a reminder that this continues to be a very difficult mission and, we both have lost a number of extraordinary young men and women. what is undeniable, though, and what we can never forget, is that our forces are making very real progress. dismantling al qaeda, breaking the taliban's momentum and training afghan forces so that they can take the lead and our troops can come home. that transition is already under way and about half of all afghans currently live in area wheres afghan security forces are taking responsibility. today, the prime minister and i reaffirmed the transition plan that we agreed to with our

coalition partners in lisbon. specifically, at the upcoming nato summit in my hometown of chicago will determine the next phase of transition. this includes shifting to a support role next year in 2013, in advance of afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014. we're going to complete this mission and we're going to do it responsibly and nato will maintain an enduring commitment so afghanistan never, again, becomes a haven for affgabstone to attack our countries. we also discussed the continuing threat by iran's failure to meet its international obligations. on this we are fully united. we are determined to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. we believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution and we're going to keep coordinating closely with our partners. at the same time, we're going to keep up the pressure with the strongest u.s. sanctions to date

and the european union preparing to impose an embargo on iranian oil. tehran must understand that it not escape or evade the choice before it. meeting international obligations or face the consequences. we reaffirmed our commitment to support the democratic transitions under way in the middle east and north africa. british forces played a critical role in the mission to protect the libyan people and i want to command david personally for the leadership role he plays in mobilizing international support for the transition in libya. we also discussed the horrific violence that the assad regime continues to inflict on the people of syria. right now we're focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. we agreed to keep increasing the pressure on the regime. mobilizing the international community and tightening sanctions and cutting the regime's revenues and isolating it politically, diplomatically and economically.

just as the regime and security forces continue to suffer defections, the opposition is growing stronger. i'll say it, again. assad will leave power, it's not a question of it, but when. to prepare for that day, we'll support plans for a transition to support the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people. more broadly, we committed ourselves and our leadership to the goal of global development. along with our international partners, we've saved countless lives from the famine in the horn of africa. david, you've done an outstanding job of bringing the international community to support somalia, including life-saving aid. at the same time we're improving our commitment for maternal health and preventable death of children and supporting the global fund for aids, tb and molaria so we can realize our goal and that's the beginning and end of aids.

let me say it's attributed to david's leadership that the uk will play a leading role to strengthen the open government upon which human rights and development depend. finally, i'm very pleased that we're bringing our two militaries, the backbone of our alliance, even closer. as i told david, i can announce that next month we intend to start implementing our long-awaited defense trade treaty with the uk. this will put advance technologies in the hands of our troops and it will mean more jobs for workers in both our countries and we're moving ahead with our joint initiative to care for our men and women in uniform. for decades our troops have stood together on the battlefield. now, we're working together for them when they come home, with new partnerships to help our wounded warriors recover, assist our veterans, transition back to civilian life and to support our remarkable military families. so, david, thank you, as always, for being such an outstanding

ally, partner and friend. as i said this morning, because of our efforts, our alliance is as strong as it is has ever been. michelle and i are very much looking forward to hosting you and samantha at tonight's state dinner. i look forward, as well, to welcome you to camp david, my hometown of chicago in may, to carry out the work upon which both our nations and the world defend. so, david, welcome and thank you. >> well, thank you very much for that, barack, and thank you for last night's sporting event. i thought there was a link between that and the table tennis, i remember it well. and because i know america doesn't like being on the losing side, i'm trying to make up to you with the gift of a table tennis table, which i hope will be there in the white house -- >> we should practice this afternoon. >> i certainly need the practice. one of these days i'll get my own by getting you to a cricket match and explaining you the rules and some of the

terminology that you'll have to try and get straight as i tried last night. but, thank you. excellent discussions today and it was great that our teams had time to join those talks, as well. barack, thank you, because there's some countries whose alliance is a matter of convenience, but ours is a matter of conviction. two states, as i said this morning, united for freedom and enterprise. working together day in, day out to defend those values and shared interests. that has been the fundamental business of this visit and we just made important progress on four vital areas. afghanist afghanistan, syria, iran and economic growth. i want to take each in turn. first, afghanistan. recent days have reminded us just how difficult our mission is and how high the cost of this war has been for britain, for america and for afghans themselves. britain has fought alongside america every day since the start. we have 9,500 men and women

still serving there. more than 400 have given their lives and, today, again, we commemorate each and every one of them. but we will not give up on this mission because afghanistan must never, again, be a safe haven for al qaeda to launch attacks against us. we won't build a perfect afghanistan, although let's be clear, we are making some tangible progress with more markets open, more health centers working and more children going to school, more people able to achieve a basic standard of living and security. but we can help ensure that afghanistan is capable of delivering its own security without the need for large numbers of foreign troops. we are now in the final phases of our military mission. that means completing the training of the afghan forces so that they can take over the tasks of maintaining security themselves. that transition to afghan control as agreed in lisbon is well under way and next year, the president said, in 2013,

this includes shifting to a support role as afghans take the lead. this is an advance of afghan forces taking full responsibility for security in 2014 and, as we've always said, we won't be in a combat role after 2014. at the same time, we'll also back president karzai and working towards an afghan led political settlement. second, a year on for the united security council resolution on libya. we agreed we must maintain our support for the people of the arab world as they seek a better future. let me just say in response to what you just said, barack, about libya. i'm proud of the action that britain and france and others took, let me be absolutely clear, none of that would have been possible without the overwhelming support and overwhelming force that the united states provided in the early stages of that campaign that made that intervention possible and given that chance, given that country a chance of

prosperity and stability and some measure of democracy. most urgently now in syria, we're working to get humanitarian aid to those who need it and britain today is pledging 2 million pounds in food and medical care. at the same time, we must properly document the evidence so those guilty of crimes can be held to account, no matter how long it takes. above all, we must do everything we can to achieve a political transition to stop the killing. we must maintain the strongest pressure on all those who are resisting change at all costs. we'll give our support to kofi annan as he makes the case for that transition and ready to work for russia and china for the same goal, including through a new security council resolution. but we should be clear, what we want is the quickest way to stop the killing. that is through transition, rather than revolution or civil war. but if assad continues, it is the inevitable consequence. we will work with anyone who is ready to build a stable,

inclusive and democratic syria for all syrians. third, we've discussed iran's nuclear program. the president's tough, reasonable approach has united the world behind unprecedented sanctions pressure on iran. and britain has played a leading role in helping to deliver an eu wide oil embargo. along side the financial sanctions being led by america, this embargo is dramatically increasing the pressure on the regime. now, we are serious about the talks that are set to resume, but the regime has to meet its international obligations. if it refuses to do so, britain and america, along with our international partners, will continue to increase the political and economic pressure to achieve a peaceful outcome to this process. as the president and i have said, nothing is off the table. that is essential for the safety of the region and the wider world. both britain and america are dealing with massive debts and deficits. of course, the measures we take in our domestic economies

reflect national circumstances but we share the same goals, delivering significant deficit reduction and stimulating growth. one of the keys to growth is trade. the eu and the u.s. together account for more than half of all global trade. foreign direct investment between britain and america is the largest in the world. it creates and sustains around 1 million jobs each side of the atlantic. and it provides a strong foundation for bilateral trade worth nearly $200 billion a year. so, deepening trade and investment between us is crucial and can really help to stimulate growth. barack and i have agreed to prioritize work on liberalizing transatlantic trade and investment flows. so, we had some very important discussions this morning and i'm looking forward to continuing our talks at the g-8 and nato summits and visiting you, barack, at camp david and home town of chicago. who knows what sport we will be able to see and go to there. as barack said the relationship

between britain and america is the strongest it's ever been and i believe that's because we're working together as closely as at any point in our history. and together i'm confident that we can help secure the future of our nations and the wealth of generations to come. thank you. >> thank you, david. so, we've got questions from each respective press corps. we're going to start with ari shapiro. >> thank you, mr. president. given the extraordinarily difficult circumstances in afghanistan from the last few weeks, i wonder what makes you confident that two years from now when the last troops leave, it will be better than it is today and i wonder if you can talk about the pace of withdrawal whether you see something gradual or speedier? mr. prime minister, you and the president take very different approaches to economic growth. you emphasize more austerity measures and the president focuses more on stimulative measures and i wonder if you could explain that your approach

is likely to create more jobs than president obama's approach. thank you. >> well, first of all, on the afghanistan, i think both david and i understand how difficult this mission is because we've met with families whose sons or daughters or husbands or wives made the ultimate sacrifice. we visit our wounded warriors and we understand the sacrifices that they've made there. but, as i indicated, we have made progress. we're seeing an afghan national security force that is getting stronger and more robust and capable of operating on its own. our goal, set in lisbon, is to make sure that over the next two years that afghan security force continues to improve, enhance its capabilities and, so, we'll be prepared to provide for that country's security when we leave.

we also think it's important that there is a political aspect to this. that all the various factions and ethnic groups inside of afghanistan recognize that it's time to end 30 years of war. and president karzai has committed to a political reconciliation process. we are doing what we can to help facilitate that. ultimately, it's going to be up to the afghans to work together. to try to arrive at a path to peace. and we can't be naive about the difficulties that are going to be involved in getting there. but, if we maintain a steady, responsible transition process, which is what we've designed, then i am confident that we can put afghans in a position where they can deal with their own security and we're also underscoring through what we anticipate to be a strategic

partnership that's been signed before we get to chicago that the united states along with many other countries, will sustain a relationship with afghanistan. we will not have combat troops there, but we will be working with them both to ensure their security, but also to ensure that their economy continues to improve. they're going to be multiple challenges along the way in terms of pace, i don't anticipate at this stage that we're going to be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have. we have already taken out 10,000 of our troops. we're slated to draw down an additional 23,000 by this summer. there will be a robust coalition presence inside of afghanistan during this fighting season to make sure that the taliban understand that they're not going to be able to regain

momentum. after the fighting season, in conjunction with all of our allies we'll continue to look at how we effectuate this transition in a wave that doesn't end in a steep cliff at the end of 2014, but a gradual pace that accommodates the developing capacities of the afghan, the national security forces. although you asked, i just want to make sure i comment quickly on the economic issues because there's a question that david and i have been getting for the last two years. we always give the same answer, but i figure it's worth repeating. the united states and great britain are two different economies in different two different positions. you know, their banking sector was much larger than ours. their capacity to sustain debt was different than ours.

and, so, as a consequence, each of us are going to be taking different strategies and employing different timing, but our objectives are common, which is we want to make sure that we have a -- we have governments that are lean, and effective and proficient and providing opportunity to our people. properly paid for so we're not leaving it to the next generation and we want to make sure that, ultimately, our citizens in both our countries are able to pursue their dreams and opportunities by getting a good education and being able to start a small business, being able to find a job that supports their families and allows them to retire with dignity and respect. and, so, this notion that somehow two different countries are going to have identical economic programs doesn't take into account profound differences in position.

but the objectives, the goals, the values, i think are the same. and i'm confident that because the resilience of our people and our businesses and our workers are system of higher education that we are both countries that incredibly well positioned to succeed in this knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. >> i would very much agree with that. there are differences because we're not a reserve currency, so, we have to take a path. but i think it would be wrong to think that britain is just taking measures to reduce its deficit. we're taking a series of measures to help promote growth just before coming here we took a series of steps to try to unblock and get moving our housing market where we've cut corporation tax in our country to show that it's a great destination for investment, we're investing in apprenti apprenticeship. a series of steps are being

taken with our difference business between the states of the two economy and the circumstances we face. but we're both trying to head in the same direction of growth and low deficits. actually, if you look at the u.s. plans for reducing the deficit over coming years, in many ways, they're actually steeper than what we're going to be doing in the uk. different starting points, different measures on occasions, but the same destination and a very good share understanding as we try to get there. i've got jimmy jones from "sky news." >> can i ask you both whether you have any information about an apparent car bombing this afternoon? on the general afghan question, why do you think it is that people feel that you talk a good game, but they don't buy it? why do you think it is that the british and american people look at a situation that they think is, frankly, a mess. they see terrible sacrifice. they see two men who are unable to impose their wills and they

just are not persuaded by your argument. >> well, first of all, what happened at camp is still early and we want to exam and investigate exactly what has happened before making clear anything about it. security of our people, security of our troops and both our nations forces is absolutely the priori priority. if there are things that need to be done in the coming hours and days to keep them safer, be it no doubt, we will do it. on the border issue of afghanistan, i would make this point. if you compare where we are today with where we've been two, three years ago, the situation is considerably improved. i think the u.s. surge and the additional uk troops we put in, particularly into heldm helman province, the level of -- the

capital is now fully transitioned over to afghan-lead control. the markets are open. you're able to do and take part in economic activity in that time, which simply wasn't possible when i first visited it several years ago. so, look, it's still a very difficult situation. there are many challenges we have to overcome, but what's happening in afghanistan today is quite different to the situation we had three, four, five years ago. do i think we can get through a situation by the end of 2014 where we have a larger afghan national army and a larger afghan police force and both of which are pretty much on track and with the afghan government they're capable of taking care of their own security which doesn't require large numbers of troops and that country isn't a threat in the way it was in the past. yes, i think we can achieve that. it has been very hard work, the sacrifices have been great. we have to keep reminding

ourselves and everybody what we are doing. you have to go back and remember that the vast majority of terrorist plots that were affecting people in the uk, people in the u.s. came out of that country and that region. that's why we went in there. that's why we're there today. it's not some selfish, long term, strategic interest. it's simply we want afghan to look after its own security with its own security forces so we are safe at home. that's the key. that's the message we need to keep explaining to people. what we try to do by the end of 2014 is achievable and doable. >> i concur with everything david said. the only thing i would add, you asked why is it poll numbers indicate people are interested in ending the war in afghanistan, it's buzz we've been there for ten years and people get weary and they know friends and neighbors who have lost loved one as a consequence of war. no one wants war.

anybody who answers a poll question about war is saying, enthuse a enthusically, we want war, probably hasn't been involved in a war. but, as david said, i think the vast majority of the american people and british understand why we went there. there is a reason why al qaeda is on its heels and has been decimated. there is a reason why osama bin laden and his lieutenants are not in a position to be able to execute plots against the united states or great britain. there is a reason why it is increasingly difficult for those who are interested in carrying out transnational operations directed against our interests, our friends, our allies to be able to do that. it's because the space has shrunk and their capacity to operate is greatly diminished.

now, as david indicated, this is a hard work. when i came into office, there had been drift in the afghan strategy in part because we had spent a lot of time focusing on iraq, instead. over the last three years, we have refocused attention on getting afghanistan right. would my preface have been we started some of that earlier? absolutely. those are not the cards we are dealt. given our starting point we're making progress and i believe that we'll achieve our objectives in 2014. alex. >> thank you, mr. president, mr. prime minister. mr. president, switching to iran -- >> can i just point out that somehow he gets to ask a question on behalf of the u.s. press corps, but he sound like -- were you upset about

that, chuck? what's going on with that, jay? come on. it's a special relationship. >> so, on iran, do you believe the six-power talks represent a last chance for the country to defuse concerns over its nuclear program over military action? and prime minister, on syria, how are you approaching the russians to get them onboard for a fresh security council resolution and do you believe president al assad won't be tried as a war criminal? thank you. >> as david said, we have applied the toughest sanctions ever on iran. and we've mobilized the international community with greater unity than we've ever seen. those sanks are going to begin to bite even harder this summer. and we're seeing significant effects on the iranian economy.

so, they understand the seriousness with which we take this issue. they understand that there are consequences to them continuing throughout the international community. and i have sent a message very directly to them publicly that they need to seize this opportunity of negotiations with to avert even worse consequences for iran in the future. do i have a guarantee that iran will walk through this door that we're offering them? no. in the past, there's been a tendency for iran in the negotiations to delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking, but not actually move the ball forward. i think they should understand that because the international

community has applied so many sanctions. because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade iran to take a different course, that the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking. and, a as i said in a speech just a couple of weeks ago, i am determined not simply to contain iran that is in possession of a nuclear weapon. i am determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. in part for the reasons that david mentioned. it would trigger a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the world. it would raise nonproliferation issues that would carry significant risks to our national security interests.

it would embolden terrorists in the region who might believe that they could act with more impunity if they would operating under the protection of iran. so, this is not an issue that is simply in one country's interests or two countries' interest, it is important to the entire international community. we will do everything we can to resolve this diplomatically. we have to have someone on the other side of the table taking this seriously and i hope the iranian regime understands that. this is their best bet for resolving this in a way that iran can rejoin the nations and to prosper and feel secure themselves. >> thank you. on syria, i mean, when you see what is happening in holmes and else where, i think we need to appeal to people's humanity to stop this slaughter, to get aid and assistance to those who have been affected and to ratchet up

the pressure on this dreadful regime. but in the case of russia, i think we should also appeal to their own interest. not in their interest to have this bloodied, broken, brutal regime butchering people daily on the television screens. the irony is that the russians with their friends and many in the west, they were more suspicious of. now they can see people in the west wanting to help them, calling for the world to act on their problems and we need to make sure that russia joins with that. so, it's going to take a lot of hard work, it's going to take a lot of patient diplomacy, but i think it's actually in russia's interest that we deal with this problem and we achieve transition and that we get peace and stability in syria and that is the appeal we should make. on the issue of holding people responsible, i do to the icc but what is being done in holmes and i've spoken personally to one of the photographers who was stuck in holmes when he got out to the

uk. what he witnessed, what he saw is simply appalling and shouldn't be allowed to stand in our world. that's why britain and others have sent monitors to the turkish border and else where to make sure we document these crimes. we write down -- >> we're going to let our viewers return to their shows on the nbc television network, your local television station. you may hear that leon panetta on a rather unsavory visit to afghanistan given the high tempers over there after the american rampage, we see him there at a base addressing u.s. troops today. as he landed as a sprawling british air base in afghanistan, there was an incident on the runway on the tarmac with a speeding truck. it burst into flames. no explosive evidence found, but this is being reported today. again, concurrent with his visit, enough to be suspicious.

a reminder tonight "rock center" 10:00 p.m. eastern, 9:00 central. our interview conducted with david cameron ducted two days ago. again, more coverage on msnbc we'll see you tonight for nbc "nightly news." for my colleagues, i'm brian "nightly news." for my colleagues, i'm brian williams nbc news new york.a's s have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, el e diniver g. s with more choices anare delivering.s, el e diniver (sir can-a-lot) good day, ma' lady. [muffled] i am sir can-a-lot. i am sir can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore.

wake up those eggs with glorious spam! (woman) hmmm... that's actually a good idea. [nervous giggle] (ancr) break the monotony. for more fun ideas visit spam.com. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> middle of the week, everybody, and it was a beautiful day yesterday. another gorgeous day here in new york. winesday wednesday. march 14th. >> i think it's time to put the coats away. >> got home yesterday after our lovely lunch that ann curry threw all the ladies of "today." it was lovely. >> now you're showing off. >> east 52nd street. it means the frog.

just say it was at the frog. it was delicious. we had a wonderful time. got home and guess what had happened? >> what happened? >> not only are the daffodils full out, they're out, and some of the trees starting to put outdoor furniture outside. what a thrill! for city people it's, like, yeah. come on, we put them away for like six months and then all of a sudden -- >> you take the chairs out, baby. >> we don't have cushions out yet. don't go crazy. >> good. doesn't it feel nice? >> it's like there's hope. hope springs eternal. >> i feel sorry for this first girl we're going to talk about today. amanda still, 19 years old. this young lady was in atlanta. and you guys, it's happened to all of us. we've accidentally dropped our cell phone somewhere. hers fell down the trash chute of her building. tossing some garbage. she looked down the chute and thought, you know what? i can get it. i can get it. >> she must have seen it. >> she could see it so she stuck her head in and dove in the trash chute. i have a similar one.

>> same thing. >> dove in, got stuck between the second and first floors. the fire department had to come. 911 was called, obviously. she was trapped for an hour dangling her head first. >> at this point you think she cares more about how she looks or what it smells like? what do you think's bothering her the most at this point? >> she didn't get her phone back. >> go all the way down. go down to the trash floor and get it out of the trash. >> she must have seen it lodged or something. we asked our facebook people what you guys -- where have you lost your cell phone? we got a wide variety of answers. >> some of them we can't even discuss because they are so disgusting. most of the time it's a toilet involved. >> that's what happens. it slips out of your hand when you're in the bathroom. you had that, didn't you? >> it's really none of your business. yes, it's happened to me. more than that, we wear microphones, and we have these pads that we wear. and we love it when we have to go to our sound guys and go oh,

by the way -- >> it slipped off. >> it's a little damp. >> if you do ever drop your cell phone in the toilet, they say that the best way to save it -- >> put it in your bowl of rice sitting right there. >> have a bowl of dry rice. they have it at manicure places because oftentimes people drop their phones when they're getting a pedicure or something. one guy, this is nasty. should we say it? >> yeah, you do it. you're good at it. >> a friend of his dropped it in a port-a-potty. and then went after it. blah. >> kara leone dropped hers in a woodburning stove. it didn't make calls afterwards. really? but she was able to at least see her contact says. here's the thing. aren't you supposed to back up everything with a back -- with a plan "b," right? >> i don't have that. >> why am i not surprised? >> i really don't. if i lost my phone -- and the thing is, again, because i don't remember anybody's phone number anymore except for my mom's. >> yep. >> and probably one or two others. that's it. i mean, i'd be out of luck without my phone.

>> doesn't kathy, your assistant, have all the numbers? >> i guess them the work-related ones are in mine. >> she's always out with foot problems. we want to say hello to her. she's at home recuperating from my foot doctor. she's out of feet, though. that's the good news. she's had both feet done now. >> kathy, we're glad you're back. she's back at work. >> i have good news. >> oh. >> i have to say the good news. you know how once in a while great things happen for nice, nice people. >> what happened? >> chef matt out in grand rapids, right? at the reserve restaurant has been nominated for a james beard award. do you know what that is? it's a restaurant that's off the beaten track in grand rapids. i'm happy for him. >> congrats to him. good for you. if you want to know if your boyfriend/husband is a cheater, there is an app for that. >> of course there is. >> now, here's the deal. we're going to tell you about the app. there are ten questions that have been compiled, very simple

questions that they say will determine whether your significant other is a cheater. okay? here are the questions. get ready. is he an extrovert or an introvert? >> i said it a different way. i just decided, you know what? who would a dream man be? so i did it that way. >> okay. so extrovert? >> no. >> introvert. you did introvert. >> i'm extroverted enough for anybody. >> does he earn more than $75,000? >> in new york, that's not a lot of money. >> the answer is yes. how high is his education level? is it high school? college? or advanced degrees? >> i just want advanced degree for fun. >> same here. how old is he? okay. >> about my age. >> all right. what kinds of physique does he have? >> athletic? because there was chubby, athletic and really buff. >> i like chubby. what kind of town was he raised in? urban? >> i said suburban.

what did you say? >> i said urban. >> really? >> yes, i said urban. okay. what kind of -- >> keith urban? just kidding. >> what kind of car does he drive? >> i said a nice sedan. not flashy but elegant. >> i said a ford. has he ever cheated or been cheated on in his past? >> i said yes. one time by a woman, broke her heart so he knows how it feels. >> okay, good. so was he ever cheated on, though? >> he was cheated on. he was cheated on so he knows how it feels. >> what's his commitment history? that's another question. >> married but amicably divorced. >> same. how many sexual partners has he had in the past? >> just less than me. >> the choices are -- the numbers are pretty astonishing for that, around they? >> not if you're dating charlie sheen. >> okay. all right. so -- and they sound like very basic questions. so when you and i both took the quiz, and our results are -- we don't even know what they are. >> we both got a "c," so he's on the fence.

>> he's not a definite cheater. >> here's the thing. obviously the longer you live, the more opportunities you have to cheat. the more options you have in life, meaning the more money and the more people around, you have more opportunities to cheat. >> yep. >> it seems to me. so, you know. and then i know some people that have lived on a farm with their nearest neighbor, 20 miles away, and he's cheated. so there's no -- >> and half the country's marriages are ending in divorce, the chance are that most people who take this quiz -- i mean, everybody's taken it so far has been on the fence or the guy's a cheater, which is probably true. >> because there's only one billy graham in the world. "glamour" did this survey. this was, i thought, kind of shocking. they asked how many guys have accidentally said "i love you" before they meant it. and they said that half -- half of the men said they accidentally said it either when they were drinking too much or when they were having sex. >> or when they said it because they wanted sex. >> yes. or they said it to get sex.

>> yeah, yeah. and they're the ones, amazingly enough, who end up cheating later once they get you. >> and their greatest fear, men's greatest fear, which is not death, a lot of women think it is, but they say it's poverty. >> well, some guys should fear death more after they cheat. because sometimes you want to kill them. >> yeah. and also, probably an older guy would be more concerned with death. >> yeah, that's the thing with these. you have to know -- i mean, what are you worried about, jerry? come over here, please, for a moment. you're our target guy. you represent every man to everyone. yes. huh? no, come on over here, my darling. speak into my bosom because that's where my fmicrophone is. what's your question? >> i don't remember. >> death or poverty? >> poverty. absolutely. i have a family to raise. >> but what if you were older and your kids are -- >> if you're closer to death, you worry about death, but i'm not that close yet. >> how old are you, jer?

>> 55. >> you've got a couple of years. speed limit. ooh, i like that. jerry's the speed limit. or he's a speed bump to somebody. >> it's a sad day today. you know why? >> oh, yeah. >> the encyclopedia britannica has just stopped the presses it. that's it. >> anybody under 30 out there is going what? what's the problem? but after 244 years -- >> yeah, they decided it's going out of print. it came out every two years and they would update it. the way the world is now with information and things being updated dpaish >> on a daily basis. >> it is kind of antiquated. by the way, it is so expensive. 1400 bucks. we used to have the world book encyclopedia. >> right. i think i had that one. >> the britannica? >> i forget. i just remember you couldn't do a term paper back in my day unless you had that. and my kids would not even know what the heck i was talking about. >> but here's the funny thing. a lot of people go to wikipedia but it sounds like an

encyclopedia, but that stuff could be changed by any mary smith on the street. >> keep in mind there's stuff on there that's not true at all. i'm not saying it was put on on purpose. it's not authenticated in any way. as you say, anybody can put stuff on there. >> you can go in there and change whatever you want. >> don't use that as a source for stuff, especially about me. we have a fun contest coming up. it's a voice contest. >> questioyes, yes, yes. >> we are starting to get submissions. and by that i mean we got one, i think. sara's going to tell us all about it. >> yeah, we did our voice contest last year, and it was a hit. this year there's a little spin. we're doing it with kids that are 18 to 16 years old. the winner will come with one guardian or parent to actually sing, and they'll get to meet and greet one of the judges from "the voice." but i think our judges are the best so it doesn't matter. logon to klgandhoda.com. you have to be singing a

cappella. >> no music. >> no music and we're not looking for professionals as nice as they may sing. we do have a submission i want you guys to hear. so put on your blindfolds. >> don't look. >> i don't cheat, hoda. >> you're looking at the reflection. >> roll the tape. ♪ i set fire to the rain ♪ watch it pour ♪ watch it pour ♪ as i saw your face ♪ well it burned when i cried ♪ because i heard it screaming out your name ♪ >> cute. >> i love that song. >> they're the girlie girls from california. >> don't tell us any more information. we know here girls. >> how do you know? you never know. okay, are we done? can we take them off? >> i couldn't tell because the harmony went by so fast. i think there were maybe three people? four. >> submit your videos. this could be a lot of fun. >> they are really, really

talented. we've got quite the show today. >> wait a minute. it's winesday wednesday. one more thing about this kid. colby is his name. i forget his last name. colby, c-o-l-b-y, out in washington state. >> you're hooked on it. >> it's the best red wine i've ever had. it's very, very accessible and smooth and every penny goes to -- >> affordable. >> -- heart disease research. so here's to you, colby, although you're only 14. up next, we're talking to a couple of kids from "the jersey shore." oh, my god, they're reading "the times." >> they're looking at the pictures. fighting. ♪ [ female announcer ] dry, itchy skin. a long term struggle needs long term relief. eucerin calming creme. used every day, its triple ingredient formula is clinically proven to relieve dry, itchy skin, with 92% of people reporting improved overall skin condition over time. eucerin calming creme.

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with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. "the jersey the jersey shor is set to wrach on its fifth season tomorrow night. >> as we say good-bye to another year of debauchery on the jersey coach, two stars are here to reflect on their achievements.

hi, guys. hello kids. how is everyone. >> you do admit it ain't brain surgery. >> it's harder than it looks. >> okay. tell us why. >> you're filmed 24 hours a day. usually the jersey shore is for a vacation on the weekends. we do it every single night for two months straight. it gets a little tough. >> we don't have a cell phone. we don't have anything. but each other. >> in front of the whole world. >> do you lose a sense of reality when you're doing reality television? >> 100%. >> do you forget they're there after a while and say, oh, shoot, i wish i hadn't said that. >> we were just discussing that. last time we were here i was telling you we were going to italy. it wasn't even real that we were there. >> sometimes your life is documented and you kind of miss it because you can't be all the way present. you had medical issues, issues with anxiety. how are you doing? >> i'm fine.

i was set off that week, and unfortunately it was when i was there filming. there's no escape. that's our real life 24 hours a day. >> when you say set off, honey, what happened? >> i was just anxious because we filmed in italy for two month and told we were going right to jersey. i hadn't slept in weeks. i was drinking every day. for me, a trigger get set off in my mind where i turned into a miserable different person. unfortunately, like i said, it was that week. >> you really came in and helped? >> i tried. vinnie was one of the closest people in the house to me. i go through anxiety, also. he would help me out when i was going through it. i was like, oh, my god, he can't leave. >> you know what i do for anxiety? i read the bible. why don't you get together a. >> he can't have a book.

>> we don't have anything. all we have is really each other. >> it's called a sweat shop, people. >> people always think they're in the house and just drink sglg sometimes we're not drinking. it's still hard because you have the cameras on you from the minute you wake up to the en minute you go to sleep. >> where do those guys sleep? >> they don't. >> there's someone on call 24 hours a day. >> snooki is on the cover of "us weekly." she's pregnant, announced she's getting married. you're tight with her. tell us about that? >> she's really excited. this is what she wanted for a while deep down inside. she's happy with gianni. good for her. >> what is she like? >> he's cool. >> is he a nice guy, decent guy? >> seems like it. we don't know him that much. >> last time she was on, i said you know what you need to do snooks, take it from a mother, don't give yourself away to every jerk that comes along.

what does she do? >> she really loves him. i don't know gianni like that. i know him from coming to the house. i sometimes see him out. bru it's not like that level that i really know. >> was it going to change the show, do you think? >> it could. it doesn't revolve around snooki, it's all of us in the house. i don't see why we wouldn't be able to film again without her? >> no place for a kid. do you agree with that? >> maybe we can throw a baby shower before she pops out the little meat ball. >> turn the smush room into a -- put a crib in there and decorate it. >> do you think she's matured since all this news has come out? >> you can say what you want about her, how she's like a mess, this is reality. i think that will mature you real quibbling, being pregnant. i don't know. i've never been pregnant. >> everybody sees one side. you see my party side, nicole's

party side. there's other sides to us that aren't just that. we're very genuine. >> i am truly concerned about a message sent to the youth of our nation which is, you know, if you don't want a child, use protection. >> she's really happy. she's excited. >> well, we're happy for her. >> she hasn't drank, stopped smoking, doing really good. >> good for her. thanks for coming. you can read your bible now? >> i wrote a book. i'm going to read my book. >> you can catch the finale of "the jersey shore" tomorrow night at 10:00, 9:00 central on mtv. the what in" right after this. brad needs car insurance, but, uh, brad doesn't want to spend too much. who's brad? this is brad. ahh! well, progressive has lots of discounts for a guy like brad. brad's intrigued. paid in full, safe driver, multi-car, going paperless -- all can help brad save a bunch. sign brad up. cool! jamie will ring you up. show brad the way.

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join our million moments of touch movement and be entered in nivea's daily date night sweepstakes. get ready to do some double takes from one of our favorite segments. it's called "what the what?" sara has spent all week long, she has nothing else to do, sorting through the photos you sent us, and she's here with our favorites. >> our first one is from doug from fairmont, minnesota. maybe i should get one of these for my front yard. >> oh, yeah. >> that's the fast train straight to a special place. our next photo is from carolyn in burlington, ontario. this is great advice, i think.

while driving, get a little wisdom. >> i like that one. >> you might want to hold a little longer. goggles, sometimes objects may appear closer. jim sidebottom from milwaukee, wiscons wisconsin, submitted this photo. >> showdown, see our dam. >> or see our dam judge. >> that's good. >> nice little warning there. we have a photo from redondo beach, california. >> if you look under 85. >> we're going to cast the net wide by saying if you look anything under 85, we are going to card you. so it's safe to say we'd all be i. i.d.'ed. >> i love it. i'm not complaining. carol from indiana sent us this photo. they do say honesty is the best policy. it's a restaurant. and we can promise you that it's going to be better than most hospitals. maybe even the schools. we don't know for sure. and finally christina willard from north platte, nebraska, submitted this photo. was it really necessary? >> well, you never know. they could have gone all the way

up to the very end. >> they give you an extra few feet, but don't drive there. >> okay. thank you, honey. all right. don't spend your entire week doing it. life is short. s ng"what the what" up . up. >> who knew? >> oh, yeah, who knew? who keeps up with this stuff? i tried it and my body felt so right, for a change. and then there's you... why should i try it? my system gets out of sorts but that comes with age, right? wouldn't you like to feel great? just because we're in that over 50... what does that mean? are we done? activia helps regulate your digestive system when eaten daily. these could be our best years yet. activia you don't disappear at midnight. and now, you've met your match. new revlon® colorstay™ 16 hour eyeshadow. 64 colors that will take you from night to day without smudging, creasing or fading away.

causing dark marks to become visible. dove has the effective solution. new dove clear tone antiperspirant. the result? underarms with visibly reduced dark marks... and an even tone. new dove clear tone. good morning. california's high-speed rail may cost less than the previous

alarming estimate of almost $100 billion. the new head of the high-speed rail project told a packed auditorium that a number of things are bringing down the price, like using existing tracks from cal train. they'll upgrade rails in southern california to lay the foundationns a l ootrk. ns a look at your forecast and the roads after the break.

welcome back. 10:28 now. a look the at the golden gate bridge, we still have light precipitation going down over the city by the bay. you can see all the way down the peninsula. san jose has not received all that much precip just yet. but you're starting to get a little more active at this point. showers are going to start to push to the south and clear the north bay. but we've got several systems on the way as we head through the next 72 hours. we'll time these out for you to a tee today during our 11:00 broadcast. >> it started out quiet. a lot of slowing, especially for a wednesday. suddenly it cleared out over the last half hour, except right here from the airport down to 92. actually an accident at hillsdale is what has things tied up here. the backup will take some time to clear out. the slow approach through the cal de cot tunnel, and down the east shore free way. still gray, wet, sloppy and

slickery through the area. flooding in downtown oakland. thank you, mike. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. we have team coverage on the storm systemitting b tayhe hitting the bay area. we'll see you in 30. this portion of "today" is brought to you by the new nonalcoholic baileys coffee creamers. find your flavor today. and we're back on this winesday wednesday, ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew?" st. patrick's day is saturday so we're going to test your luck with irish trivia. as always, kathie lee is next door. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the questions right. and to those who don't, lucky them, they get a copy of kathie lee's cd. here to help me out is ryan, the host of ireland's "the late late late show" and the author of "jfk in ireland: four days that

changed a president." the longest-running talk show in the world. >> in the world, ever. the planet earth. >> i love it. >> yes. nice to be here. >> you, too. >> this lovely lady is from newtown, connecticut. how many pints are guinness are consumed internationally on st. patrick's day? 10 million? 12 million? 13 million? or 15 million? >> oh, gosh. i'll say 15. >> oh, no, i'm so glad you got that wrong! >> oh, yes, the kathie lee cd. the correct answer, ryan, is actually? >> 13 million which is generally how many i'd have on a saturday night, but on st. patrick's week, we change that. i'm sorry she got the wrong answer. guinness is very popular. they say in ireland there's both eating and drinking it. >> a meal. >> we consider it a meal. look at me. i'm well nourished. >> back across to cath. >> this lovely young lady is from texas. she's all dressed up for a party. a leprechaun is actually an irish what?

a shoe maker? banker? magician? or a thief? >> a banker. >> did you say banker? you are adorable, and you are a proud owner of a new kathie lee cd. >> yes, she is. the correct answer here, shoe maker. >> some would say they are bankers given what they've been doing recently. at the end of a rainbow somewhere. by all accounts, shoe makers are employed. >> okay. back across. >> i bet you this lady from iowa will know the answer to this. true or also, erin go bragh means let's drink. >> wrong. >> i told you. don't mess with this woman. >> i was going to say, she's a tough cookie over there. that, of course, is false. >> it's false. there's great expressions in ireland. my favorite is may the rose rise ahead of you. i don't know why they say that because if the road rides ahead of you, it's the hills.

there's another great one which president obama said when he was in ireland recently, which translates as "yes, we can." there's an irish expression for everything. erin go bragh, ireland forever and over. >> back across to kath. >> colleen, if you're out there in america watching this, dean has a message from you. all right? all right. in the meantime, this gentleman from tennessee, how many americans are named patrick? 1 in 100? 1 in 160? 1 in 200? or 1 in 260? >> "b." >> yeah. yeah. >> wow! that was a good guess. 1 in 160. >> 1 in 160, barack patrick obama. who knew? my middle name's patrick. >> is it? >> my father's name is patrick. you can't avoid it. it's a beautiful name. it's named after a saint, st. patrick who was welsh. who knew?

>> the cathedral right across the street. >> true story. >> back across. >> the best corned beef and cabbage in all of new york city no doubt about it wins every year is at neery's on 57th street. here's the question. corned beef and cabbage is the traditional food eaten on st. patrick's day in ireland? >> true. >> oh. oh, have fun. >> all right. so in ireland, what is -- what is eaten on st. patrick's day? >> anything, actually. we go to mcdonald's. the truth is, it's not corned beef. corned beef and cabbage is a frightful meal. it's desperate. we'd all feel quite sick at the pub after eating it. i'm being honest. >> really? >> there's a tradition. you must have some corned beef and cabbage. my mother showed up with corned beef and cabbage, i'd say politely i love you but i'm not going to eat that. some good irish stew or lamb. corned beef, there was a time. but i'm glad to say -- >> that time has passed. >> come on. >> moving on. ryan, thank you for coming to

see us. good luck with your show. not that you need it. >> you always have luck. happy st. patrick's day and thanks for having me. >> my pleasure. are your kids always getting the upper hand in an argument? kathie lee will come back across the street, and we'll talk about how you can regain control right after this. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away

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children really know how to push their parents' buttons to a point where they give in or they argue, pretty much. >> yes, but susan is the author of "parenting without power struggles." she says you can raise your child without battles by following her techniques. where were you when i needed you? >> where was i when i needed you? >> we talk so much about parenting and how we feel like the kids rule the roost. >> asylum. >> yeah, when you're watching how parents deal with their kids, clearly they're not the ones in charge. >> no, and we need to be. our kids want and need us to be what i call the captain of the ship. >> we're doing them a disservice. we love our children so much. if you really love them, then

discipline them, right? >> because the truth is we're not raising children. we're raising adults. >> well, show us some good techniques. >> three things. >> hand signals. hand signals. >> so this represents the parent. the parent in charge. and this is the child. this is how it's supposed to go where the child says, i want some cake. sweetie, not right now. why not? watch carefully. yes, i will. no, i gave you cake last night and you didn't eat. but that's because this is where you have the pushing and the pushing back. nobody's in charge. i call this the two lawyers. >> yes. >> and then it goes worse. if you don't give me cake, i'm not going to do my homework. yes, you are. >> they become the dominant one. >> and down here the way you know you're here is you're bribing and threatening and nobody's in charge. that's where you're not at your best parenting. >> show us how it should be. >> same scenario. >> i want some cake. sweetie, i know. the cake's really good. can i have some? i'm afraid not. why not? whatever reason i give you isn't going to make sense right now, but it's really yummy, i get it,

and maybe we'll talk about when you can have cake and you can make another one. you're not engaging. you're not participating or pushing or pushing back. >> but you are giving them hope. >> seems to me it's not as decisive enough. >> that's if they're not pushing against you. if they're really nuts and stirred up, you don't give any hope. it's not that you're not giving hope, you're just saying i know you want it. it's great cake. it tasted so good, but you're not engaging in the power struggle. you're staying disengaged. >> you may have dessert after you've had your full dinner. >> you can say that, but you don't want to need their push. sometimes we train our kids how to push and push and push to get what they want. >> what about when you're totally exhausted? you know what i mean? you're tired, it's the end of the day. when you need a piece of cake. just eat it. >> here's the way that you hold this place. you make it your idea. i was about to give you cake. i can't believe it! you read my mind! >> oh, so then you festeal the power? >> you manipulate them. i like that. >> then they know their place.

>> when your child is very frustrated -- >> usually it's because they're tired. >> a lot of times they're at the end of the day. >> what do you do in that kind of situation? >> you stay calm. you slow down. you address the root of what's going on by just getting them to nod their head or say yes at least three times. you really -- you know, you really were hoping i would give you a free pass on the homework. you really don't want to do it. i get it. and you just don't engage in the pushing. but you acknowledge what's underneath it. >> i think that's an important point. acknowledging that your feelings are your feelings. >> sure. >> and you have the right to them. however, mine are more important than yours. >> all right. there's a lot of great stuff in your book. >> very nice to meet you. you look beautiful in your jennifer miller outfit. you can read an excerpt from her book at klgandhoda.com. up next, age-busting makeup tricks. they'll help you look years and s and years younger after this. >> and years. yours and mine. because we found it. together.

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to take years off your appearance, look no further than your own makeup bag. the right lip color or foundation will help you turn back the clock instantly. here with age-busting makeup tricks is meredith rollins. >> we love her. >> so nice to see you again. thank you. >> you, too. some tips to really shave some years off? >> they really are. i'm not saying you should throw out your wrinkle creams or stop wearing spfs, but these are easy. it's really one product. you can do them yourself. you don't need a makeup artist, and they make you look great. >> let's start with purdy. >> so this is a beautiful sort of rosy blush, and it is a cream formulation. the key thing with cream blush is that you can just put it on with your fingers, you just rub it in. it gives you that youthful glow. and it's better than a powder brush because powder formulas can settle into fine lines and make your skin look a little dry. with a cream formulation, you can just build it up beautifully. >> just make sure you blend it

real well. >> exactly. >> you do look great. let's move down to tiffany. this is the eyeliner section. hi, tiffany. >> tiffany is wearing this beautiful black liner that is flipped up at the ends. as all of us get a little older, the outside of the corners of your eyes tend to droop a tiny bit. this counteracts it because you use a liner to go along here and flick it pup. you can use it with a q-tip, you can use the end of your pencil, and it gives you sort of an instant eyelift. >> we like that. >> you look great. >> thank you. >> now, on the eyes, we've got shimmers or something you like here. stacy is with us. >> exactly. so this is a neutral shimmery shadow. >> i like that. >> it is just one shade lighter than her normal skin tone. and we use a powder formulation here because cream formulations for shadow can sometimes settle into your fine lines and make you look a little crepey. but this is like spanx for your lids. it just lifts you and makes you look great. >> just saying the word spanx, every time we saw it, she needs

to send us a buck. >> a little less expensive options? >> you can get them at any price point and really any shade that matches your skin tone. >> you should throw these things out after a while. what would you say, six months? >> six months, get rid of them. >> hody, that means you. get a whole new bag. >> get a whole new ziploc. thanks, hon. we have christine here on the end, and we're talking lips. we need this one, don't we? >> yeah. the other thing that happens as you get older is that you lose color in your lips. and so the best way to look really youthful is to have sort of a rosy glow. and you can use kind of a sheer formulation like this revlon. >> that's so natural. >> pinky rosy glow really gives you that kind of young, sexy, juicy-looking mouth. >> she was talking about you. >> juicy. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, ladies. up next, we're tasting the wild flavors of south africa. >> really? >> i know. this is "today" on nbc.

it is time for "today's kitchen," and we're gettin' saucy with a chef visiting us all the way from south africa. >> he is very cute. he's here from ruben's at one and only cape town. so you're making chicken balls for us, yes? >> i'm making chicken balls. i wanted to -- i'll just start by saying i wanted to make ostrich, but i thought that was going to be too big for today. >> it's hard to catch those doggone things. ostrich balls, i guess we could have had. >> is this breast meat or dark meat? >> it's dark meat. it's just a bit more moist. we slow cook that in a bit of a stock. just pick them off the bone. >> mm-hmm. >> and then we started some onion.

>> what about all this business here? is that going in? >> that's some curry powder, nutmeg, lemon juice for zest. >> first of all, that's onion and carrots? >> that's some onion and carrots, yes. >> good. >> the spice will make it a bit lighter as well. >> and healthy. >> and healthy, ruben. >> ruben, stop it. >> once we get there -- >> now, where does the chicken go? in here? >> you can add the chicken to this. >> i could do that. i'll do it. >> spices. >> i'll do it. >> you're doing well there. >> thank you. i'm stirring. look at me stirring. >> i'll slowly add this. >> uh-huh. >> faster. >> oh, faster? >> yeah. >> okay. >> you've done this before, i can see. >> yes, i'm very schooled. >> only here. >> in the kitchen. at the "today" show. okay. and how long is this happening? >> just until it starts to thicken up. >> uh-huh. >> and then we're just going to -- and normally that has to

cool a little bit. >> oh, look what i've done, kath. >> look at you, hodi. >> oh, this is that? >> and this week we stir for how long? just so it gets moistened together? just to mix it up. >> all right, we're ready. i'm go ahead to add this? oh, lord. good luck. >> it really looks like she's done it. >> she knows what she's doing. i do it quickly. >> you've got to stand back when hoda does that because i know hoda. >> okay. sorry, kath. >> it flies. that's all right. we mix that up. and that becomes -- >> so that cools. we mix it up. it cools. >> sorry, kath. >> that's all right. >> all right. >> so these, we've -- >> show us. >> so that's been cooled down a little bit. >> scoop it out. >> just scoop it out like that. >> mm-hmm. yeah. >> make them nice and round. >> make them nice and round. you can make them small or big.

>> yes, you can. yes, i do. >> people prefer them different ways. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> uh-huh. okay. >> all right. just regular little -- what kind -- >> panko bread crumbs, the japanese ones. >> the japanese. >> and then you just drop them in that hot oil? >> yeah, stand back for that. oh, you don't have it too hot. all right. and we sizzle them for how long? >> just until they get nice golden brown like that. >> okay. >> and then basically -- i mean, that takes a few minutes. it doesn't take too long. the chicken's cooked already. we're not trying to cook it. >> so we're just going to have a little bite of it. >> that goes over salad? >> that goes over salad like this. like so. >> oh, that's delicious. >> this is actually the great thing is the sauce. and it's not quite a lot of fruit in here. sweet and sour. >> i like that. >> that has a little bit of a chutney taste. >> thank you for coming to see us. >> you have to try the wine.

>> sweet. >> you shouldn't have. but you couldn't come back if you hadn't. thank you, ruben. >> thank you, sweetie. tomorrow funny man joel mchale is with us? >> who invited him? y wedwinesday.aywinesday.dy. see you today at 1:00 from broadway.